Series 4
by TorchwoodOCD
Summary: Because Torchwood isn't Torchwood without Ianto. Set 6mnths post CoE. Now being beta'd! Chapters 1 and 2 reposted after editing. Many thanks to Kejfe Blintz.
1. Something in the forest

_Place in Canon: Approximately 6months after the end of Children of Earth where Gwen and Rhys watched Jack disappear into space from the top of a hill. _

Andy got out of the car and wandered over to the collection of paramedics, by-standers and police that had gathered on the edge of the forest. In the middle, as described to him over the police radio was a man wearing a waistcoat with a wound down one side of his face, his hair was short, dark and slightly dusty; actually most of him was quite dusty. Andy looked at him a bit longer, he looked vaguely familiar but he couldn't quite place him. The man had been found collapsed by a couple out walking their dog, who had phoned 999. When the ambulance and police arrived the man had asked specifically for him, but why? Perhaps Andy really did know him.

"Andy! Andy!" The man broke free from the paramedics and rushed towards him.

"Hold it right there" he said putting some personal space between himself and the stranger. The stranger came to an abrupt halt. "Do I know you?" Andy asked, surveying the man from head to toe and back again.

"We have met." The man extended his arm and offered Andy his hand. "Ianto Jones, I work with Gwen."

Andy just stared, memories flooding through his head. Ianto was dead, he'd picked Gwen and Rhys up from the helicopter, driven them to Ianto's sister's, fought the army alongside most people from the estate, for goodness sake he'd been to Ianto's funeral a week later. Yet the man now stood in front of him asking him if he'd heard from Gwen did look uncannily like the man they had buried nearly a year ago. Hold on thought Andy suddenly aware of reality rather than his own thoughts. The man was asking about Gwen...

"Yes all the time, why?"

"She's safe?"

"She's fine, and Carys, and Rhys. But hold on, you're, you're, well last I knew mate you were dead."

"Well I think someone wants us all dead, can you get me to Gwen?"

"No mate, as in you died, I was there when they buried you. A year ago."

"A year ago? No, I'm not dead, I'm here."

"Yes, so who are you? And why are you trying to impersonate a dead man?"

"I'm not, I don't know what'shappened but I really need to speak to Gwen"

"You wait here, I don't know what's going on but I think I'll have a word with Gwen before we take this any further." Andy reached into his pocket grabbed his phone and dialled Gwen's number. It rang for what seemed like eternity before she finally answered.

"Hello?" Gwen, sounded distracted as she answered his call.

"Hi Gwen, its Andy"

"Hi Andy" rings cheerfully down the line "..Two ticks, just need to reposition Carys, ah right now how are you?"

"Gwen are you sitting down?"

"Yes Andy I'm on the sofa why?"

"I have just been called to the strangest of things and I think you might need to know about it"

"Oh? Vaguely alien is it?" There was a slight hint of sarcasm in her voice, but Andy decided to ignore it; now was not the time to get upset by Gwen's continued impression of self importance as Torchwood's only member.

"Well not exactly, I've been called to a man who thinks he's Ianto, and he's really quite convincing but, well, erm..."

There was a silence on the other end of the line. "Ianto died Andy, a year ago" The mocking tone was gone, she simply sounded concerned.

"I know I was at the funeral, I fought in the street remember?"

"So what are you trying to tell me?"

"Well I got called this morning to come to a man that had been found collapsed in the forest, he asked for me, he looks like Ianto, he sounds like Ianto, and he's very concerned for your safety and seems to things someone is chasing the two of you. He also asked about the children, if they'd said anything else."

"Well that's a really tasteless prank, why would someone do that?" The anger rose in Gwen's voice.

"Well, I was a bit cautious at first, but well looking at him now I'm not sure it isn't him. I never really believed in resurrection and all but well this is very strange."

"You really think it's him?"

"I'm not 100% certain its not"

"Hmm, ok well bring him over here, I'll dig out the blood samples and kit and we can at least conclude who he is or isn't" And with that she hung up.

Andy stared at his a phone for a second, before returning it to his pocket. It was going to be one of those days. The paramedics had apparently finished their investigations, the man looked at Andy, Andy isn't sure if what he saw was fear, shock, or worry across the man's face. He approached the group.

"I'll take it from here, lads, thanks for checking him over" And without a word he led Ianto over to the passenger seat of his car.

Ianto said very little in the car, Andy tried to keep conversation light, talk about the weather, recent events...

"Where are we going?" Ianto interrupted.

"To see Gwen" Andy was quite short in his response.

Silence filled the car.

They pulled up outside Gwen's house.

"But this isn't where Gwen lives, she lives..." his voice trailed off...

The sound of the car pulling up outside alerted Gwen to the arrival of her visitors. With Carys in the carry pouch and the blood sampling kit in one hand she headed out the front door. Andy got out the car and came round with her to open the passenger door.

Gwen looked at the man in passenger seat; he looked uncannily like Ianto had when they'd all met up in London last year. He caught her gaze; she looked away and reached for the needle.

"Arm please, this won't hurt much"

Ianto looked a bit stunned. "Gwen, what's going on?"

"We need to find out who you are"

"But you..."

The needle went through the skin, and his blood entered the vacutainer.

"..You know who I am, its Ianto."

"Ianto is dead. He died a year ago in London doing battle with the 456. If you're going to impersonate someone you should do all your research first." Her voice showed little emotion, the words were bitter but spoken very matter of fact. She turned back to the house. "Andy don't let him move, this will only take 10mins to compare to Ianto's real sample.

Ianto felt numb. What had happened? Where was he? Why did his friends question his identity?

Andy sat in silence, occasionally he shifted as if about to say something but then thinking better of it.

Ten minutes seemed like eternity.

Gwen reappeared in the doorway, she rushed out to the car, round the bonnet and threw open the passenger door. She just stood and stared, tears welling up in eyes.

"Ianto?" she whispered.

"It's him!" Exclaimed Andy. "Really him? But but how?"

"Gwen" A look of relief washed over Ianto's face, but was quickly replaced by one of fear."What's going on Gwen, what's happened?"

Gwen gave him a big hug. Tears rolling onto his shoulder. "I don't know Ianto, you're you're supposed to be dead..." She drew back, examining him slightly cautiously. "You're not dead are you?"

"I wasn't aware of being dead."

"Will someone please explain what's going on?" Andy lent over the handbrake.

"I think you'd best come inside, we have a lot to catch up on and work out." She backed away and headed to the house. Ianto stepped out of the car, feeling the breeze on face, somehow the world felt very odd. Andy beckoned him up the path to the house.


	2. What did I miss?

The kettle was already on the boil; Andy helped himself to the comfy chair and Gwen patted the other end of the sofa, indicating that Ianto should sit down. She went to make the tea, and returned in no time with a steaming mug for each of them.

Gwen slipped on to the other end of the sofa, and curled her fingers round her warm mug.

"What happened Ianto?"

He breathed in. Paused, blinked and breathed out.

"The last thing I remember is the bomb in Jack's stomach, him insisting we left. I kissed him goodbye, I was sailing up on the lift, and then there was this almighty explosion, I banged my head, or something hit it. The next thing I remember I'm waking up amongst the flora of the forest, vaguely aware of voices close by, which is when I was found. They called the police, I thought we were still a target, but I figured Andy was a safe bet."

Gwen looked thoughtful.

"You don't remember getting to London, hiding in the old Torchwood base..." she trailed off. Ianto's face looked blank.

"No." He said plainly. "Tell me what I don't know."

"Well to summarise what was possibly the worst few days of my life" Gwen paused, she hadn't trawled through these memories in a while, and the pain reminded her why.

"There was an order to kill on Jack. You, me Rhys and Jack hid in the old Torchwood base near London; in fact you found it for us. We basically stole credit cards, computers, anything... Jack stole a sports car; apparently the software for the hub was stored on an external server and we started doing what Torchwood does. The 456 was in Thames house demanding 10% of the world's children and the ministers appeared to be deciding which 10% and how to get them there."

Ianto looked positively shocked.

"So," Gwen continued. "You and Jack went storming in, and tried to fight it." She paused again, her mug rocked in her shaking hands. "It released a deadly virus into the air of Thames house, you were there and like everyone else in that building you died." There were tears in her eyes, for a while no one spoke.

"And Jack?" There was a hint of concern in Ianto's voice. "He survived the bomb, what about the virus?"

Gwen straightens herself up. "He came round as he always does, but you were cold and grey. I believed we lost you forever."

"And the children?"

"Jack, well, he took your death quite badly, I haven't seen defeated before. He sent Rhys and I back to Cardiff to your sister's, and he stayed in London. I thought it was all over. But while we were hiding with your sister and most of the kids from the estate in an old hut, Jack was back in London saving the world." She smiled, and then her face fell. "It turns out he had a daughter, and a grandson. But the 456 were using the children to communicate to us, and so he sent them away from Earth with what he calls an anti-wave, communicated through his grandson. It saved the world but it, it, destroyed the boy, right in front of his eyes. I don't think his daughter will forgive him, and he'll ever forgave himself. He tried to travel the world for 6months, take his mind off things, but it didn't work, he got wind of a spaceship above earth and we fixed his wrist strap for him, and he disappeared into the night sky."

"You've not heard from him since?" Ianto's voice was soft and quiet.

"He occasionally drops a voice mail into the hub network, I sent him a video of Carys and us when she first came home. I think he's doing ok."

"You still have the hub stuff"

"Yeah couldn't sell it on could I? It's in a box in the study.

"Can we get it out? Has there been much Rift activity, what about all the stuff it chucks up? I mean what does Cardiff do without Torchwood?"

"Hey hey," Andy interrupted. He hadn't said anything in awhile, the other two had nearly forgotten he was there. "There's UNIT and there's me, and between us we sort it out."

Ianto looked slightly puzzled or was it doubtful, a sort of combination of the two.

"The rift has been pretty quiet," Gwen explained, "Andy is the official unexplained incidents officer. If there are odd things then between him, Martha and I, we tend to iron it out, there really hasn't been anything like the volume we used to see though."

"I'd like to see what was going on today when I appeared in the forest" Said Ianto carefully.

"Well I'd certainly class that as an 'odd event'" said Andy "but as much as I'd love to help set up Torchwood in Gwen's study some of us have jobs to do."

He placed his cup on the coffee table, stood out of his chair and headed for the door. Leaning back into the room from the hallway he smiled at Gwen "Phone me if you need anything" Nodding his head at both of them he left.

"Well, shall we have look then?" Gwen was on her feet, baby monitor clipped to her belt.

"After you" Ianto followed Gwen through to the study.

The rift monitor for the current time did indeed look calmer than Ianto ever remembered seeing it, but as they scanned back to this afternoon, there was positive spike, a fairly standard spike but amongst the quiet background it looked quite frankly enormous.

"That'll be me then?" Ianto pointed at the screen.

"Guess so" Gwen nodded. "Impressive."

"Never imagined I'd have a spike named after me"

Gwen smiled, she looked at Ianto he smiled back, in what was a very strange afternoon for both of them, there was suddenly something very normal about examining the rift again.

"Can we contact Jack?" Ianto's voice was very matter of fact.

"Yep," said Gwen, "think he'd probably want to know about this one, even if he isn't on Earth anymore."

"The video cam is in that box somewhere" Gwen gestured towards the smaller of the cardboard boxes sat to the left of desk.

Rooting around a bit Ianto found a very swish but slightly battered video cam.

"It's been through a lot that cam" she said without turning her attention from the screen.

"I can see" Said Ianto

"Rhys had it with him when we were running from the army during the 456."

"It still works I assume?"

"Of course if still works, give it here" Gwen smiled at Ianto, it was really great to have him back.

The message they sent to Jack was short. Gwen insisted that she ought to start and then if Ianto wanted to be on it he could say hi. She didn't seem to think that the image of Ianto appearing out of Jack's wrist strap was really the best idea.

"Sent!" Gwen announced proudly.

"And now we just wait?" Ianto slumped against the wall

"Yep that's Jack for you..." Gwen trailed off. "Ianto, you look shattered."

"I am" Ianto nodded, even his voice sounded weary. "I don't suppose I still have a flat to go home too?"

Gwen bit her lip and looked at the floor. "I'm sorry, you were dead, so well it was sold. Your sister might still have some of your stuff."

"She thinks I'm dead too, doesn't she."

Gwen bit her lip and but this time stayed focused on Ianto, "Yes, she does. We keep in touch from time to time, mainly about the kids. Why don't you take a rest in the spare room, I'll have word with Rhys before he gets home, and we can all have some food later on?"

Ianto smiled, when he had first come round he was so relieved he hadn't died, but now he was beginning to think that, having apparently been dead, life was going to be just that bit more complicated than it already was.


	3. We've got a guest

The spare room contained a generously sized double bed positioned with its headboard on the same wall as the door. At the foot of the bed was a large trunk, which provided an excellent place to sit and admire the view through the large full height window on the opposite wall. There were two plain bedside tables, one either side of the bed, and a freestanding mirror in the far corner. Otherwise the room was empty.

Ianto felt his feet sinking into the carpet as he took the few steps required to get from door to bed, obviously brand new. Gwen had laid out a pair of Rhys' jogging bottoms and a t-shirt on the bed for him. Although his suit was dusty and he obviously couldn't sleep in it, it was the one thing Ianto still had that was his. Never the less, he was very tired and changing seemed the sensible thing to do. It felt odd lying in someone else's bed, wearing someone else's clothes, knowing that nothing he used to own was still his. He'd barely closed his eyes to reflect this when he drifted off.

Gwen had Carys in one arm and the phone in the other.

"Shall we phone daddy?"

Carys sort of gurgled. Gwen hit dial.

"Hi Rhys, is me!"

"Hello, couldn't wait for me to get home?"

"Well, I wanted to catch you before you left, Carys and I have had a very exciting day, we thought we'd come over and tell you all about it on the way home"

"If it's that exciting why don't you tell me now?"

"Will be better face to face, bus should take us about 40mins, you'll still be there right?"

Gwen could feel Rhys rolling his eyes in the short pause that followed.

"Yes yes I'll be here, see you both soon"

Gwen wrapped Carys up nice and warm, pulled on her own long winter coat and headed out to catch the number 52 from the corner. The journey to Rhys work has become a sort of frequent past time since she'd had Carys. A way of getting out, avoiding spending all day pottering around the house, and Carys seemed to enjoy it so it was easy entertainment for her too. The regular group of school children boarded the bus by the shops and rushed upstairs, the elderly gentleman with the red jumper sat near the door reading yesterday's paper. It was all very normal. Gwen wondered how she was going to explain to Rhys that she'd discovered Ianto alive... that wasn't very normal at all.

Rhys was waiting for them at the bus stop when they bus pulled up.

"Hello!" he said taking Carys from Gwen. "And what is so important that my two favourite girls travelled across Cardiff to come meet me from work?" He talked mainly to Carys in his best baby voice, who responded by screwing up her noise and eyes.

"It's a bit unexpected" Gwen began.. Gwen wondered how she was going to explain to Rhys that she'd discovered Ianto alive... that wasn't very normal at all.

Rhys was waiting for them at the bus stop when they bus pulled up.

"Hello!" he said taking Carys from Gwen. "And what is so important that my two favourite girls travelled across Cardiff to come meet me from work?" He talked mainly to Carys in his best baby voice, who responded by screwing up her noise and eyes.

"It's a bit unexpected" Gwen began.

"You're pregnant again?" Rhys looked very excited. His face quickly returned to serious as the look on Gwen's face cleared said this was not what had happened. "What then?"

"You remember Ianto?"

"Gwen, I could hardly forget him."

"Well I thought he was dead."

"He is. What are you trying to tell me?"

"Well apparently he's not, and he's asleep in our spare room." Gwen had given up on trying to break it to him gently and decided just to tell it as it was. Considering everything that had happened, this explanation actually seemed to make the whole thing seem perfectly normal to her.

"No Gwen, please tell me you've not let some random stranger stay in our spare room because he's pretending to be Ianto. I know you miss him, I know you miss Jack, but you have to accept they're both gone." There was a short pause. A hint of anger appeared in his expression. "What do you mean he's in our spare room? Now?"

"Yes"

"So there is a man in our house in the spare room, and you've just left him here and come out."

"He was asleep"

"Gwen! He could have done anything by now, come on we're going and I'm going to sort this out. If that is I have a house left to come back too."

"Rhys! It's not some weirdo, it really is Ianto and he doesn't remember anything since the hub exploded, he didn't know he was dead. I hope he hasn't woken up and worried cause I'm not there."

"Gwen! Ianto is dead. It can't be him. Come on let's get you home you're obviously not too well today."

They'd reached the car. Rhys was strapping Carys into the back seat, Gwen climbed into the driver's seat before he had a chance to object. She really didn't want him driving like this.

Rhys climbed in to the passenger seat and opened his mouth in an attempt to object

"I'm not ill Rhys. We did a blood test and it matches Ianto's from the hub samples."

Rhys looked at Gwen, laid his arm on the window edge and rested his head on his hand.

"Who is we? And is that sort of test conclusive? It couldn't just be coincidence."

"Andy found him. And no. It has to be Ianto."

Rhys looked out the window. "So whose funeral did we go to?"

"I think that was Ianto's too." Gwen concentrated on the traffic, she still hadn't quite worked this one out herself yet. "The rift monitor shows a big strike around the time Ianto was found, it has barely even risen since the 456 left. Something happened."

"Bloody torchwood." Rhys continued to watch the houses go by outside.

That was apparently all he had to say on the matter. Gwen figured it hadn't gone too badly.


	4. Unexpected guest

Thank you too everyone who has reviewed so far, it provide so much encouragement that here is the 2nd chapter in less than 2 days!

Although probably obvious to everyone I thought I ought to say it just incase...

...I don't own torchwood or its characters, they were the fabulous creation of Russell T Davies and the BBC.

Enjoy.

* * *

Gwen placed the key in the lock and opened the front door, trying carefully not to make too much noise as she did so. Rhys followed her in, babbling away to Carys, something about what mummy had managed to get involved in now.

"Rhys" Gwen hissed at him, and placed her finger across her lips in a silent shhh.

"Oh yeah" Rhys grumped "Better not wake the dead!"

Gwen looked at him, sighed, raised her eyebrows and moved through to the living room.

Rhys popped Carys to bed for some sleep and then stood in the door way, leaning on the frame.

"So? "

"So what?" Gwen replied.

"Don't say what like you've no idea what I'm talking about."

"Well I can guess who you're talking about, but I don't know what it is you want to talk about."

"There is a man in our guest room who is supposed to be dead Gwen. What are we supposed to do with him?" Rhys looked like he was about to pause, but didn't. "Does his sister know? Will he be able to get a job? What sort of effect is this going to have on Carys? Have you even thought about her!?"

Gwen looked up at him from the sofa. Rhys the rant, the wonderful Welsh man she'd fallen in love with, married and was now raising a family with. Rhys the long suffering other half to a member of torchwood dealing with life as he always does.

"We're going to cross one bridge at time Rhys." She said calmly and more confidently than she actually felt about what they were going to do. "Carys is very young and never knew him before so it's nothing strange to her. I haven't told Rhiannon yet but I thought we'd invite her over for tea tonight. I don't know what happens after that, but I've sent a message to Jack just incase he wants to know. We can sort tomorrow out, tomorrow."

Rhys smiled, and joined her on the sofa, placed his arm around her, kissed her forehead and leaned his head on hers. He was still taking it all in, and it occurred to him that Gwen probably had a lot to take in too, but here she was, doing what does best, being practical and organised and carrying on. He loved her. If that meant he had to love torchwood too, then so be it, though he had enjoyed its absence the last few months.

"I'm going to phone Rhiannon, will you be able to go and get her if she wants to come over?"

"Yeah don't see why not, what I do best, get stuff from A to B at the required time." Rhy grinned.

"Thanks hun," Gwen smiled, and dialled Rhiannon.

_Ringring, ringring, ringr_ The phone on the other end was answered, there was the noise of kids playing and a television in the background. The voice on the other end yelled away from the phone and the noise cut out.

"Hi Rhiannon, its Gwen." Well that was the easy bit out of the way...

"Carys is very well, what about yourself?" Gwen wondered if perhaps she ought to miss the chat and get to the point.

"Great. I'm actually phoning with some very odd news, I'm afraid. You might want to be sitting down."

"It's not bad news as such, it's about Ianto." There wasn't an audible response from on the other end.

"Well, we found him alive this afternoon. Actually I think he more found us, but he appears to be alive and well, thought he doesn't remember any of the last year."

"That's the bit I just don't know, I'm sorry. I think it's got something to do with the Rift, the same think that we used to work with before the 456."

"No, we haven't heard from Jack, we sent him a message but his replies are never usually very prompt."

"Yeah, I don't know he would know anything about it. I've got all the gear from work so I'm going to try and investigate it. Do you want to pop round? He's asleep at the moment but I'm sure he'll be up in a bit."

"Thats ok, Rhys and I are probably going to grab some pizza for tea so as long as you're ok stopping at the shop on the way back he can come and get you just now."

"Do you happen to have kept any of his clothes? He was wearing his suit when we found him, but it's very dusty."

"Great, we'll see you soon."

"That me on taxi and delivery duty then?" Rhys already had his coat on and his keys in his hand. He lobbed the baby monitor at Gwen and searched through his pockets for change. "You got a tenner? I'm a bit short."

Gwen dug a twenty pound note out of her back jeans pocket, and held it up for him to take.

"Cheers hun, see you soon."

"See you soon, drive safe."

The door clattered behind him.

Remembering her conversation with Rhiannon, Gwen clipped the baby monitor to her belt and dashed into the study to see if there was indeed any reply from Jack. Not that she expected one, but more just in case, surely Ianto's retun was big enough news to deserve a reply. As expected, nothing. The Rift was fluctuating, although this had been unusual recently it was still less activity than they would ever have been concerned about a few years ago. Whatever had happened this afternoon appeared to be pretty focal and isolated.

The smell of pizza drifted up Ianto's nose. Was he dreaming? Which bit was a dream? His head felt heavy, his memories confused. The hub, a bomb blast, a forest, Gwen, had he died? Was he dead? Where was he? Surely Gwen and Jack would have woken him if they'd decided to get pizza? He hoped beyond all hope to open his eyes and see the tiled walls of the hub, discover his confusion was just a dream. No such luck. His eyelids peeled away from each other to reveal plain walls  
and a large pair of curtains covering an enormous window. Apparently his confusion was still real, or maybe he was still dreaming? He tried screwing up his eyes and opening them again. Same scene. Same scene, and same smell, that was definately pizza.

Changing quickly into his battered suit Ianto stepped cautiously across the thick carpet and out into the hall. There were voices in the living room, he recognised Gwen's and maybe Rhys and one that  
sounded like his sister. As he opened the door the smell of hot pizza filled his sinuses and made his stomach rumble.

"How you feeling?" Gwen beamed across the room at him.

Rhys sat with one arm round her shoulders a slice of hawaiian pizza in his other hand. "Hi" he mumbled through a mouthful of pineapple.

"Much better thanks Gwen." It wasn't a complete lie, he did feel much better, he just wished he understood what had just happened to him and why the world thought he was dead.

"Well come on then" Rhiannon's voice broke the silence, "Tuck in you must be starving, and its good pizza."

"Hi," he said, "Sorry I believe I'm supposed to be dead."

His sister just smiled, she seemed to be taking it all very well. But then she'd put up with a lot from him over the years, perhaps this was just another thing her brother did. He sat down on the other end of the sofa from Gwen and Rhys and helped himself to a slice of meat feast.

"I assume Gwen has filled you in?" Ianto didn't look up as he said this.

"Yeah, she did, though by the sounds of things it's you that needs filling in on what's been happening."

"A whole year apparently."

"Yeah, full of surprises you are, never tell your family either, we always have to find out from someone else."

"Ianto Jones!" There a loud proud booming voice from over by the door.

Everyone turned their head. No one said a word.

In the corner of the Gwen and Rhys' living room, as if this sort of sudden appearance was the norm, stood Captain Jack Harkness, complete with great coat and that unmistakable grin.

"You've exceeded expectation a number of times, but this, this Ianto Jones, is most unexpected." There was a slight approving shake of his head as he beamed at Ianto.

Ianto remain in the sofa corner. "Jack" he said as if the two had just met in the street.

"How the hell did he get in?" Rhys mouthed at Gwen, while doing his best combination of surprised, annoyed and confused faces.

Gwen shrugged, and resumed staring at Jack.

"I should have called" he said, "but well your message took me somewhat by surprise and we were passing so I thought I'd just drop in."

He might have been out in the galaxies running from his past, but in that moment there was no mistaking this for anyone other than Jack.


	5. Did ya miss me?

Series 4 – Chapter 5

Still no one moved; all four pairs of eyes focussed on Jack. Jack on the other hand had eyes for only one person.

"Did ya miss me?" A cheeky smile spread across his face, more prominent on his right side.

"I thought I'd seen you this morning; but apparently that's over a year ago. It's been a long day." Ianto wasn't sure that in amongst all his confusion there had been any space to miss Jack. Which was odd in its own way, he usually missed Jack quite a lot, thought admittedly not just in an afternoon.

"It's been a very long year for the rest of us. Come here."

Jack stepped forward, Ianto stood up. Jack pulled him into a big bear like hug, his head resting on Ianto's shoulder. Ianto let the hug absorb him, felt the coat brush against his face, the warmth seep through his body. It was a very real moment, in a very surreal day.

"It's really him!" Jack half whispered, half mouthed at Gwen.

A huge smile spread across Gwen's face and she raised her shoulders temporarily in a happy kinda excited sort of way.

Ianto wondered if Jack had really wanted a hug, or if it was just a sort of test to check he was real.

It was then that Jack saw Rhiannon sitting in the chair. He only met her once before. After the 456 left, he had returned briefly to Cardiff to attend Ianto's funeral. He'd thought perhaps the process would help him deal with his loss. But it hadn't. He'd stood at a distance and watched them bury him, felt the emotion swell up inside him all over again. Gwen had spotted him, perhaps the greatcoat wasn't exactly good camouflage. Thankfully she'd has the sense to keep her conversation brief and leave him to go through whatever it was he needed to do to make the pain stop. Rhiannon had spotted him too, broken away from the crowd as they were leaving and asked if he was who she thought he was. She'd said it was a shame they'd never met while Ianto was still alive. And here he stood, a year later embracing her brother, having just interrupted some sort of reunion.

He released Ianto from the hug, but kept one arm round his waist.

"Rhiannon," Jack said looking straight at her, "nice to see you again."

"And you" Rhiannon looked like she might cry, though Jack wasn't sure that it was tears of joy. "I think I'd get myself home, sure you all have a lot of catching up to do, and the kids will need me."

"You don't have to go Rhiannon, really its ok." Gwen lent across to put her hand on Rhiannon's knee.

"No no really, I should be getting back, look at that time" It was an obvious excuse but no one denied her it.

Gwen prodded Rhys under the rib cage. "'l'll give you a lift" he said and dragged himself out of the sofa.

"Thanks Rhys, it's very kind of you." Rhiannon reached for the carrier bag on the floor next to her chair. "These are for you Ianto, Gwen said you might need a change of clothes. I'm not really sure why I kept them, but I guess they're coming into their own now."

Rhys was stood by the door, car keys in hand, Rhiannon and Gwen exchanged hugs and she walked over to the door.

"Thanks." Ianto said.

Rhiannon turned back from the door to look at him. "Take care of yourself. I've no idea what I'm going to tell the kids, just don't phone the house, not that you ever do anyway."

"Rhiannon," Ianto's voice sounded slightly hurt. "I didn't, you know it wasn't." He started, "I'm sorry."

Rhiannon managed a small smile more of regret than forgiveness. She altered her focus to look at Jack instead, "Take care of him."

"Wouldn't dream of doing anything less." Jack wrapped his spare arm back round the other side of Ianto and rested his head on Ianto's shoulder, making him look almost two headed from where Rhiannon was standing.

Rhys held the door open for her and they left.

Rhiannon sank into the passenger of seat of Rhys' car. "Thanks for the lift, it really is appreciated."

"Hey, no worries. " Rhys smiled and started the engine.

It was a friendly smile, not a weak superficial smile, but one you could trust. Rhiannon, was glad she had met Gwen and Rhys, for all the fear during the 456, despite the loss of a brother, she had formed a strong friendship.

"You seem to be coping with it all very well." Rhys piped up as they sailed through the dark of Cardiff.

"I don't really know what else to do." Rhiannon said, "When Gwen told me on the phone I just couldn't believe it. You wouldn't, would you? But then you know, I knew Gwen wouldn't just be making it up, and I just had to come round and see for myself."

"Yeah, seeing is believing and all that."

"Well thats exactly it. He walked in the room, looking just like the Ianto I met in the park with the laptop. Except he doesn't remember any of it, he does know he died as hero, trying to save our children. "

"hmm, what about the kids? Will you tell them?"

"I dunno, when he died I didn't think it would be a big deal for them, you know they're quite young and he was never around much, just brought them money for birthdays and Christmas. They didn't seem too upset. But then at Christmas I began to think differently. David was recalling all the presented he received and of course Ianto's envelope wasn't there, he pointed this out and said he missed Ianto's presents. I was about to tell him that was no way to speak about his Uncle when Mica piped up that she missed Ianto because this was the only time of year she every really saw him. She's so young I didn't think she was too bothered, but I think he may have played a bigger part in her life than I had realised." Rhiannon paused.

Rhys didn't fill in any gaps, apparently thinking this over.

"I think I'll wait and see how things pan out. If he truely is back and wants to be a part of our lifes then I'll tell them. But if he's going to continue being so distant then I just don't think it worth the disruption, they've been through enough, and so have I."

They rounded the corner of estate and pulled up outside Rhiannon's house. A light was still on in the living room.

"Looks like they've waited up for you." Rhys said as the car came to a stop.

"Yeah, its never an early night when Jonny's in charge, even if they have got school tomorrow. Thanks again for the lift."

"Again, not a problem, getting in training for when Carys is older!"

Rhiannon smiled, opened her door and got out the car. "Tell Gwen I'll call her tomorrow."

"Will do". Rhiannon slammed the door and Rhy watched her cross the grass and enter her front door.

Jack sat down in the middle of sofa and pulled Ianto into his left hand side, Gwen dropped into the space to his right.

"Well, here we are. All back together again." He sounded chuffed, almost smug, but definitely proud.

Ianto glanced at Gwen, Gwen looked back. Neither quite sure what to say Jack, he was definitely more the Jack they knew, but very much different to the man Gwen had described disappearing into the night sky.

"How was space?" Ianto ventured something that might start some conversation.

"Hey, not bad all things considered. But that is so not the point. What I want to know is what you, Ianto Jones, have been and how you are now."

"I'm fine Jack, really." Ianto was getting a bit fed up of people continually asking how he was.

"Well considering our previous adventures with returning for the dead, I want you properly checked out before we go making any wild plans."

"Plans?" Said Gwen, "You planning on staying a bit then?"

"I have no current plans to leave. Not in the foreseeable future." He smiled at Ianto, and found his smile returned on the younger man's face.


	6. The spare room

Rhys closed the front door behind him, shutting out the dark wet night that had descended on Cardiff. He ambled up the hallway and was surprised by the lack of any voices coming from the living room. The light was still on so he opened the door and stuck his head round. Gwen turned her head from where see sat on the sofa, cradling her tea cup. There were no more pizza boxes or empty glasses lying on the coffee table, the living room looked as neat and tidy as it usually did.

"They gone?"

"They're in the spare room." Gwen sounded tired, exhausted even.

"They're staying?"

"Yes."

"Both of them?"

"Yes."

"In our spare room?"

"Yes."

"Right."

"What did you want to me to do with them Rhys?" Irritation rose in her tone.

"Well, I dunno, it's just. Well they can't stay there forever."

"No of course they can't. But tonight they're both here and they have no one but us, and nowhere to go. So they're staying here. We can deal with tomorrow, tomorrow."

"Right, well let's get you to bed, you look shattered."

He held the door open. Gwen gently placed her cup down on the table and stood up out of the sofa.

Jack sat down on the edge of the neatly made double bed. Ianto sat down on the other side. For a while no one spoke. Silence filled the simply guest room. It was Jack who broke the silence, twisting round to face towards Ianto's back.

"How are you feeling?" His tone had lost all the bravado it usually contained, instead it was lower, slower, and expressed concern that felt so deep it touched Ianto inside.

"I'm fine." He was sure he'd said this before. He too twisted to face Jack, their eyes met, the blue of Jack's eyes crystal clear even in the dim light. "Physically I really do feel fine. It's nice to know you're no longer on a list to kill, and it's great that the kids aren't still under alien influence. It's a little disconcerting that I've apparently been dead a year, and somewhat inconvenient that the only thing I have to my name is a dusty suit, a clean suit and a pair of jeans. But on balance, I'm fine."

Jack didn't say anything, he just continued to looked deep into Ianto's eyes, as if he could see right into him through this pupils.

"What about you?"

"What about me? I'm concerned about you, I'm not sure I understand what's happened, and based on our previous experience of people returning from the dead I think I want you properly checked."

"I can't go to a hospital Jack. My medical records say I'm dead, there'd be out roar."

"Oh no way are you going near one of those places. There is only medic I trust, and I plan on calling her first thing tomorrow. I'd call her now but I think it's rather late on Earth."

Ianto managed a small smile from one side of his mouth. It always amused him, how extreme Jack could be, all the weird and wonderful things he dealt with day to day and then that little bit of consideration for normal life. Ianto wanted to know how Jack had been the last year, he wanted to ask him about his own death, his daughter and grandson, his travels; but he feared Jack would brush it off and the topic would be lost forever, never to be discussed.

"It's good to see you again." There it was again that deep tone, pure and simple, from the heart.

Ianto saw his chance, but he could no longer meet Jacks eyes. He looked down at the duvet. "What happened after I died?"

"After you died?" Jack raised an eyebrow, he couldn't quite understand the embrassment that went with Ianto's question.

"Gwen filled me in a bit. She says you took it pretty hard." Ianto paused and looked at the wall. "She says you had a grandson, and that you lost him to the 456." Another pause, Ianto looked at his knees. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault." Jack's voice sounded hard.

Ianto turned back to meet his gaze. Jacks face looked strong and determined, but Ianto was sure that was tears he could see in his eyes.

"When I woke up in the row of dead bodies, I wished beyond hope that I wasn't going to find you among them. That by some chance you hadn't died there in my arms. But when I sat up I saw Gwen sitting next to your body, cold, grey and mostly definitely dead. I felt like someone had ripped every ounce of motivation out my body, I had no reason to keep on fighting it all seemed so pointless, so inevitable."

Jack broke their gaze and turned as if starring through the curtained window out into the Cardiff sky. He breathed in deeply and began again. "I've been in love before Ianto, been married, had kids, grandchildren. But everytime it ends in pain, they die or they resent me for what I am. I promised myself last time not to let it happen again. I flirt oh yes, but I promised never to get involved again, too much too loose, too much pain. And then there was you."

He paused for breath again, and this time looked straight into Ianto's eyes. " I'm sorry I must have sent so many mixed messages, but I was scared Ianto, scared of the evitable loss. I was just starting to settle, put my fear away, allowing myself to be taken in, to love you without considering the consequences."

Ianto could feel his own tears welling up. He had no idea what to say. Every now again Jack opened up, told you how he felt. And here he was sat on the other side of the bed explaining that he had been cautious to get involved because he was scared of it ending. How strange that seemed. It was the commitment Ianto had thought Jack was scared of; which it was in a way just the inevitable loss that followed.

"Does that still worry you, now I'm back?" Ianto fought back the tears.

"Yes. But I came back didn't I?"

"How long do you think I've got? "

"Dunno." Jack's shoulders made a small shrug, and his face followed suit. "Thats why I want to call Martha, though I don't know how much she will be able to tell us."

"Hmm." Ianto had never considered that he might not have a normal life span, as far as he was concerned he was still perfectly normal.

" Better make the most of it." Jack smiled, but didn't move.

"Yeah." Ianto smiled too, however scared he was, Jack had come back, back for him.

" Now?" Jacks smile became more suggestive, and his eyebrow rose.

"Why not?" The smile on Ianto's face grew to a small grin.

"The last time we had this conversation, I told you the world might be ending. You told me the world was always ending." The flirt had gone from Jack's voice to be replaced by something much more reflective, he gazed focused somewhere beyond the window.

"That's because it usually is."

"My world did end."

Ianto slid across the bed ending slight behind Jack's right shoulder. Jack turned his head to look back at Ianto sat behind him, his face looked somewhere between a frown and a smile. There weren't any words that could do justice to such a comment. Ianto lent across and kissed Jack.


	7. The morning after

"Morning Rhys."

Rhys looked at Jack through heavy eyes. He was quite sure that no one should be that cheerful at 7.30. Ever. Maybe he'd feel more awake after a shower.

"Mind if I borrow the shower?"

It wasn't so much a questions as a statement, and Jack waltzed into the bathroom, leaving a very tired Rhys standing in the hall in his dressing gown. A brilliant smell wafted down the hallway, Rhys could have sworn it was bacon; in fact it really was bacon! Letting his nose guide him, he stumbled he into the kitchen to find Gwen making bacon rolls.

"You never make bacon rolls just for me." He sounded slightly hurt.

"Well I've made you some this morning" Gwen passed him a plate with two gorgeous bacon rolls.

Rhys couldn't help but smile as the smell continued to fill every part of his sinuses. He took it to the table, sat down and bit into the first roll.

"Humm Humm, sooo good."

Gwen rolled her eyes and smiled. So easily pleased. At least it might make up for losing out to Jack for the shower.

"Oh, that smells good Gwen." Jack was washed and dressed and the showered seemed to have added extra show to his person. "I have missed bacon, protein packs are so not the same!"

Gwen grinned, and passed him his plate. "Ianto joining us?"

Jack put his plate down on the table. "I think so; he's just gone in the shower."

Rhys let out an exasperated sigh, and took a sip of his tea. "Bloody marvellous. He's better not take as long as you do."

"Hey, Rhys I'm sorry. You know that is a really nice shower you've got there."

"Hmm. Funny, I'm not sure I remember, I've waited that long to use it!"

"Come on now boys, it's too early to be arguing." Gwen put her arm round Rhys' shoulder and planted a kiss on the top of his head. He raised his eyebrows and returned to his cup of tea.

"Gwen! Can I borrow the phone?" Jack was up and out of his seat. Rolls untouched.

"Yeah, sure, it's on the side. Help yourself."

Jack stood tall by the window admiring the view of the garden.

"It's a nice patch you got yourselves here."

Rhys said nothing, but sulked into his tea.

"Hi Martha its Jack."

"JACK!" there was a gasp at the other end "Oh my god!" a giggle, "Are you, are you" there was a short pause "Are you back on earth?"

"Yes, yes I am. And I have a favour to ask."

"Fire away, I'm all ears."

"You remember Ianto?"

"Of course I do." The excitement in her voice, had been replaced with a tone of great concern. " You ok?"

"Hell yeah, well pretty much" Jack lowered his voice "Thing is Martha," the excitement growing in his own voice "he appears to be alive."

Silence.

"Martha?"

"Yep yep still here, but you, you realise that's impossible Jack."

"He turned up in Cardiff yesterday. Very much alive as far as we can tell, he seems very much himself, but he doesn't remember anything since the Hub blew up."

"Rrright."

"As far as he's concerned that was only yesterday. I mean obviously we've filled him in and stuff, but I really don't know what's happened."

"Wow, Jack. What is it with you and death?"

"Don't start. But talking of my previous experiences with death and return, I wondered if you could pop over and check him over, you know just in case. Give us some insight into what's going on?"

"Jack, Cardiff isn't exactly just round the corner."

"It's not miles away though is it? I'll get you a 1st class train ticket," he wasn't sure this would be enough to get Martha here right now, man he wishes she could still teleport, "and a classy hotel."

"Oh you've won me over Jack, how do you do it." Jack detected more than a hint of sarcasm in her voice, but he let it slip for the purpose of having in Cardiff tonight.

"Well hop on a train, and I'll pay you back when you get here."

"Now? Jack, I have work they need at least some notice."

"Well I'll call them too."

"Oh no you won't; an awol torchwood captain phoning them because he's borrowing their medic, I don't think so!"

"I'm not awol, I meant to leave."

"Whatever Jack. " Martha was laughing, "I'll sort it out and see you this afternoon."

"Looking forward to it"

He turned to back to the breakfast table, with a smile so smug it would make anyone sick.

"She's on her way then?" Gwen was smiling, she was really quite excited to have everyone back.

"Yeah, first train she can get on."

"Morning everyone." Ianto appeared through the doorway, immaculate in everyway. "Ooo, bacon, you spoil us Gwen, thank you." He pulled up the last chair at the table, and admired the rolls that sat on his plate.

"Right," said Rhys, "I'm going to shower and finally get to work." With that he left. Gwen watched him go, she knew the sudden arrival of Ianto and especially Jack was not something he was particularly enjoying. She also suspected that as much as she was excited about the possibility of a new torchwood, he was worried that he perfect life here with her and Carys was about to be torn into mayhem again. This time, she thought, things had to be different.

Ianto looked up from his plate with a mouthful of roll and found Jack just sat the other side watching him, no particular expression on his face. Ianto smiled.

"You ought to be careful Jack, the wind might change and you'll be stuck like that." Jack's gaze became more focussed and he lobbed a bit of roll with ketchup across the table. In looked set to hit Ianto's clean shirt.

"Mind the shirt." Ianto said intercepting the incoming threat with his hand. "It's the only clean one I've got."

"Oh dear," said Jack, a cheeky grin spreading across his face, "what would you wear then?"

Ianto decided to not to indulge Jack with a reply and returned to eating his breakfast.

"It's great to have the two of you back." Gwen smiled from one to the other.

"It's good to be back." Jack said. "I was thinking, we should really find ourselves a new hub, we can't go on operating out your spare room can we?"

"Well, it's done ok so far." Gwen sounded a little indignant. "I don't know how much work there will be for us, it's been really quite quiet."

"Well, we've got Ianto to investigate first, one job at a time." Jack was back leading a team; it didn't seem to occur to him that perhaps he should check he has a team first.

"Still here." Said Ianto through the another mouthful.

"Sorry" said Gwen. She sounded truly apologetic.

The doorbell rang, Gwen looked up, slightly confused, it was only just 8.30 who would be calling now? She heard Rhys answer the door, she couldn't quite make identify the other voice but it sounded male.

"You'd better come in then," Rhys said

The door shut, two sets of footstep came through the hall.

"Gwen. It's Andy." Rhys continued past the door into the bedroom, and Andy stepped into the kitchen.

"Morning," he sounded bright, "Oh hello Jack, thought you were long gone from here. Morning Ianto." He sat down in Rhys' vacant chair, pulled it in and lent his elbow on the table. The smile on his face was wide enough for two faces. "Not interrupting am I?"

"No, of course not." Gwen smiled, "always room for one more at breakfast."

"Breakfast? Awww I wondered what the smell was, don't suppose there is some left."

Gwen laughed, "No, but I can do you some, one roll or two?"

"Two, thanks Gwen, absolute saviour, didn't have time to get some this morning. Got this call you see, properly early, dog walkers up in that wood were we found Ianto." Andy paused to judge a response.

"Oh?" said Jack. That was all the encouragement Andy needed.

"Well you see its really interesting" he began, "not exactly the same spot, but about 200m further down the path they came across a whole pile of, well stuff, frankly. Some of it looks a bit electronic gadgetry; the rest is a mixture of rubble and bits o piping. Anyway they think they've found some loot dumped from a burglary, but I had a look and it's not your standard gadgets. Some of it looked familiar thought, still can't place it myself, but I reckoned it fell under unexplained events and thought you guys might like a look."

No one said anything immediately. Gwen was busying herself with the bacon; Ianto was rather relieved that the story about the dog walkers in the forest hadn't involved any strange injuries or abduction, or worse more missing people. Jack felt the excitement die, what was going to be interesting about a pile of junk?


	8. I've seen one of these before

"Well?" Andy looked around for some sort of acknowledgement if not praise.

"Rolls" Sang Gwen as see placed a place in front of him.

"Ah, cheers Gwen, absolute magic."

The sight of Andy devouring the rolls, reminded Gwen of the many early morning shifts they'd shared; many of which involved stopping at the cafe, or the road side van for a round of bacon rolls. She smiled, and rejoined the boys at the table.

"So, then Andy." She began, sounding very organised, "The stuff, can we see it?"

Andy looked up, mouth full of roll, bit of bread hanging out one corner of his mouth. Using a hand to help insert the hanging bits into his mouth and chewing enthusiastically he finally had enough space to speak.

"Huum," he thought better of trying to speaking with a half full mouth, chewed a bit more and swallowed. "Yeah yeah of course, it's all in the back of the car outside. Shall we go?" He was out of his seat on his feet looking expectantly at the others.

"Well I'm sure it will still be there in a few minutes, if you want to finish your breakfast first?" Gwen's was almost laughing, but not in a cruel way, more just entertained, it was nice to see Andy so excited.

"Ah, yeah guess so." He sat back down.

It was cold outside. Ianto felt all the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as they stood out in the street. Rubbing his arms didn't seem to help, so he reverted to put them in his pockets and shifting from foot to foot.

"Right then let's see what you got." Jack didn't exactly sound enthusiastic as he stood at the rear of Andy's car.

"Everyone ready?" Andy looked like he was about to unveil the crown jewels. He pushed the button, raised the boot lid and then straightened up proudly admiring its contents. Inside the boot were two reasonable sized cardboard boxes. One contained what looked suspiciously like building rubble you'd expect to see in a skip. The other was a collection of metallic objects, of varying size. Jack and Gwen peered round either side of Andy at his find.

"Any thoughts anyone?" Jack was seriously unimpressed, and he wasn't making any effort to hide it.

"Waaa, waaa." The small white box attached to Gwen's belt let out an ear piercing scream.

"Oh sorry guys, she's awake, I'll leave you to it." And she dashed back up the path at great speed.

Jack glanced back in boot, Ianto moved closer to get a better look, it was easy to see why Jack wasn't excited.

"Hmm, nothing that unusual, sir."

"No, my thoughts exactly." Jack turned to Andy who was now leaning on the edge of the car, legs crossed, watching the birds go by. "Nope, nothing out of the ordinary there. You can just, well do whatever it is you normally do with rubbish."

Andy's face fell. He opened his mouth as if to protest but either thought better of it or lost his nerve. "Right. Well worth a go, I'll just say bye to Gwen." He too dashed up to the house.

"You coming Ianto?" Jack placed his hand on the boot to close it.

"Hold on Sir," Ianto was busy rummaging in the metallic objects box, objects clattered against each other, Ianto straightened up clutching one in his left hand. "I think we've seen this before."

Jack looked quizzically at Ianto before directing his focus down his left arm to his hand, "so we have, now that's certainly not meant to be here!"

Ianto placed the singularity scalpel back into the box of metallic objects. "What's even more interesting, is that I think Gwen still has the original one from the hub back in her study."

"Does she now?" Jack raised an eyebrow. "Let's get these inside then might be more here than meets the eye." Jack grabbed the electronics box, and set off for the house.

Ianto looked at the box of rubble, how heavy could it be? Not that heavy surely. Apparently quite heavy, but once he got it balanced he struggled up the path after Jack.

"Oi!" Andy exclaimed as Jack nearly walked into him with the box. "where do you think you're going with that, that's police property that is."

Jack was already past him and nearly at the front door. "Good work Andy, real interesting stuff. We'll handle this." And with that he disappeared in the front door.

Andy was just quick enough avoid being knocked over by Ianto coming up the path behind the box of rubble.

Jack had dumped his box in the middle of Gwen's study and emptied it contents across the floor, Ianto placed his box down in just inside the door and brushed down his suit.

"Anymore?" He crouched down next to Jack.

"This look familiar?" Jack held up a slightly bulky looking PDA

"Is that, that's Tosh's."

"Uh huh, so why is our gear turning up in the forest?"

"I have no idea, do you think it's related to me turning up there too?"

"Seems more than coincidence if you ask me."

"Ask you what?" Gwen appeared in the door way, baby balanced on one hip. "Oh Jack, those boxes were in some sort of order you know!"

Jack looked confused. "You've been through this lot before?"

"Well it didn't just turn up here of its own accord did it! Rhys and I spent a good few weeks going through the rubble as they dealt with the debris from your explosion."

"Erm, Gwen." Ianto interrupted, "This isn't your boxes, this is the stuff we've just taken out Andy's car."

"But? Thats not possible, because that is definitely Tosh's PDA that you're holding and I know we rescued that, I was over the moon when we found it." Gwen handed Carys to Ianto and navigated her way across to the far corner of the room where she grabbed something out the top of the nearest box. "Snap" She said.


	9. Martha Jones

_I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who reviewed the early Chapters. Having never written for the site before it was a great encouragement and hence the expansion into what is rapidly approaching the double figure chapter mark! Thank you so much to those of you who are still reading, it's really exciting for me to know there are people out there who want to read my stuff. It has been suggested that I get a beta reader I wondered if anyone could explain how this works? And how I might go about finding/choosing one? Hope all are well, happy new week!_

* * *

On further investigation it became apparent that most of what had just turned up in the forest was the same as stuff Gwen had managed to clear from the rubble of Torchwood 3. What was odder still was that when they looked up the inventory for items of alien origin on the torchwood server, all items were on the list. They had at some point in the past already found identified and stored the items safely away. After some complaints about getting his only clean suit dustier still Ianto and Jack had taken the rubble box into the back garden in case it contained anymore clues. Among the many bricks that could have belonged to any building in Cardiff, they recovered 6 off white wall tiles. Some of the tiles had black lettering, or at least part of letters, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to arrange them in such a way that the read "Tor". Back inside, Gwen had repacked the gadgets into their box and begun to exam the rift monitors. The only activity since Ianto's arrival was another spike of activity around 4am in the morning, similar shape but smaller amplitude than had occurred the previous afternoon.

"Looks less and less like a coincidence to me." Ianto was looking at screen.

"Yeah," Jack sounded slightly distracted. He was leaning on the desk, right arm bend up to support his head while his fingers tapped along this cheek. He turned his head to face Ianto, raised his eyebrows and grinned like a small child with a secret plan.

"What?" Ianto sounded cautious, he'd seen that look on Jack too many times before.

Jack straightened up and dug his handed into his pocket. "Well, " he began a distinct smugness to his tone, "Increasing rift activity, unexplained arrivals and guess what?"

"What?" Ianto's face expressed very little emotion, the question was unnecessary; Jack was undoubtedly 3 steps ahead of whatever he was saying.

"We're just in time."

Ianto smiled. Jack was so Jack. "Would you like me to find us some new premises?"

"Ah now thats when I really stop doubting you're you."

"I'm sure I could think of more fun ways to prove it." Ianto's face was dead pan. "Sir." He added, closing his eyes temporarily as a small grin crept across his mouth.

"I'm sure you could," Jack smiled but didn't advance. "You'll have to show me later. Right now I need a hub and a vehicle, something similar to before practical but not too ordinary." He swung out the door. A second later he swung back in hanging off the door frame with one arm, "can you get us a house while you're at it? Don't want to out stay our welcome with Rhys." And with that he was gone.

Us? Thought Ianto.

Us as in we both need a house fine a nice two bedroom semi we can share. Or Us as in together, we need to find a house for Us the couple? People has been saying that a lot recently "couple" or at least they had been last year, which was as recently as far as Ianto was concerned. Safest he decided to find somewhere with two beds, and then all options were covered, just because you own two beds doesn't mean you can't share one, or indeed both... Ianto shook himself before his mind wandered off the topic all together. Best to start with the vehicle, that shouldn't be too difficult; and would provide them with the necessary transport to go hub hunting.

"What have you got?" Jack bounded back into the study.

"Well we can head across town and pick up a new SUV today, there's a few plausible places to set up base, so we could look at them on the way back."

"Nice work, Ianto. What would I do without you?"

Ianto just smiled. "I try my best."

"Great, well, try your magic again and see if you can get Martha somewhere really swish to stay tonight."

"What time are we expecting her?"

"15:23 assuming there aren't any delays. She's cleared the time with UNIT and on her way to the station now."

"Right, thats quite soon."

"Yeah, you excited?"

"Erm, not exactly the word I'd use Jack, finding out my fate."

"Hey hey, come on now, don't going getting all down on me. You are here and now and very very alive, she isn't going to change that."

"No, let's hope not. It will be nice to see her again, wonder how the honeymoon was?"

"Looking for all the saucy details are we?" Jacks eyebrow was raised again, Ianto wondered if he might pull a facial muscle before nightfall.

Ianto rolled his eyes. "No, some of us are capable of more refined conversation."

Jack nodded slightly lowering his eyes to look down his nose as he did so. He looked so very pompus.

"Shall we see if we can pick up this car first?"

"Lead the way."

At 15:20 a large black SUV was parked in the Penarth Road car park. Jack had gone in to find Martha; Ianto was sat in the passenger seat entering Jack's new mobile number into his new phone. In just over two hours the pair had managed to purchase a new car, a pair of mobiles and a couple of shirt for Ianto. Thank goodness it was all going on expenses thought Ianto, he had no money of his own; it wasn't like the dead had bank accounts.

Martha spotted Jack the moment she got off the train. He was kinda unmissable!

"Jack." She yelled as she lept into his arms. "Its so exciting to see you. And Ianto," she looked round, "where is Ianto? I thought you two would be inseperable."

Jack's smile was wide enough to reach both ears. "He's just looking after the car, we've been shopping."

"Have you now? Come on then show me your new wheels."

Martha climbed into the back seat; Jack hopped back into the driver seat and started the engine.

"Ianto! Its so great to see you, weird like," Martha shook her head, "but brilliant, utterly, brilliant."

"Thank you." Said Ianto, tucking the phone into his inside jacket pocket.

"So, how do you feel?"

"I feel fine, really quite, well just fine really." Ianto shrugged and twisted to look back at Martha.

"Great," she said still smiling, "how exciting! So you guys got plans? Torchwood strikes again?"

"I've always got plans, Martha Jones, you should know that." Jack smiled back at her in the rear view mirror.

"We've looked found a couple of plausible looking locations. Thought we'd check them out tomorrow; you can come too if you like?" Ianto sounded keen for her to come.

"I'd love too."

"Great." Ianto smiled.

"Great" said Jack.

"Great, then" said Martha. "Where you guys staying?"

"Gwen's very kindly put us in her spare room." Ianto said.

"But Ianto's going to find us a place of our own, aren't you?"

_A place of our own _now that's got to be an _us_ hasn't it? Thought Ianto, he swallowed and tried to find his voice "yeah looking into it, be easier once we know where the hub is going to be."

"Hmm," Martha's reply was more than suggestive.

Jack winked at her in the mirror.

"That reminds me!" She exclaimed. "I've brought you a present!" She tossed a brown paper bag into Ianto's lap.

"For me?" he said. At a guess he'd have said that if Martha was going to bring anyone presents, it would more likely be Jack than him.

"Well, yes. Well you need to have it. But I think Jack may enjoy it more than you do."

"Will I now?" Jack's voice was all flirt.

Ianto had bad feeling about this as he unscrunched the top of the bag and slipped his hand inside. His fingers met something soft to touch, fluffy but slightly rough. Extraction from the bag confirmed the present's identity... a UNIT red cap.

"You, erm, you didn't have too." He looked back at Martha, he face a mixture of appreciation and irritation. She smiled, he couldn't help but smile back, Martha's smile was somewhat infectious.

"I say!" Said Jack

"Go on, put it on then," Martha was laughing, "very dashing" she announced

"Oh my!" said Jack, approval and seductive tone both running through his voice.

Ianto looked at Jack, he felt more than a little silly, sat wearing the cap, but was so worth it to had Jack's undivided attention. His clear blue eyes holding gaze with Ianto's own.

"Jack!" Martha nearly lept into the drivers seat.

"Whoops!" Jack whistled as he turned the steering wheel just in time to avoid them hitting the wall in front. "Guess the road bends right there."

"Yeah, perhaps you should take the cap off Ianto, at least until he's not driving anymore."


	10. Being back

The black SUV pulled up outside Martha's hotel in the centre of Cardiff.

"You're hotel ma'am" Jack pulled on the hand break and twisted round to face Martha.

"Thanks" Martha was still smiling, a big beautiful confident friendly grin. "Shall I get myself settled and get a taxi over to Gwen's this evening? I've brought my stethoscope, but I think Gwen said she'd found some medical stuff when they searched the rubble?"

"Yeah, she's got a few boxes of stuff in the study." Jack said.

"We even have two of somethings" Ianto raised his eyebrows and breathed in, the memory of Gwen and Jack both clutching Tosh's PDA was still fairly fresh in his memory and quite frankly just wrong. Perhaps that what people felt when they saw him; was he wrong?

"Well always good to have spares," Martha slid forward on her chair and planted a kiss of Jack's cheek, "I'll see you two later," she opened the back door jumped out, popping her head back in as she thought of another question. "Should I get my own tea or are there bigger plans?"

"I think Gwen said she'd cook tonight," Ianto offered his opinion.

"There'll be plenty to go round, pop round whenever; we'll save you some if necessary." Jack called out.

"Awesome." Martha slammed the door shut and gave the boys a big wave and headed for reception.

Hmmm, she smiled contentedly to herself, it was good to be back, and Cardiff smelt much fresher than London. She was surprised now unfreaked out she was by Ianto's reappearance. Maybe she'd just seen so many think with the Doctor and UNIT that this was just another thing? Perhaps she has just got used to Jack's immortality and so the dead not being dead was not so strange. As she pushed through the revolving doors of the hotel she decided that it was probably because she didn't really know Ianto that much; Jack was big part of her life, and Ianto not an insignificant part of his, but she realised that apart from her time with the team a couple of years back she knew very little about him.

It was lovely to see Jack so alive again. When she and Tom had returned from their honeymoon UNIT had filled her in on the events surrounding the 456. She remembered her reaction when they'd told her Ianto had died, her first thought had been of Jack. A complete flirt by all accounts of the Doctor, the man who couldn't die and who may become The Face of Boe in years to come. But during her stay at the hub she'd seen the way he looked at Ianto, watched that smile creep across his face when he talked about him. It made her smile, seeing him at least partly settled, she too had longed after the Doctor while travelling with him, she felt she could appreciate Jack's pain at being apparently left behind, especially after the Daleks. But she had choosen to move on, and she didn't regret that for one second, her place was here on Earth with Tom, talking of Tom she really should phone him, and let him know she'd arrived safely.

Jack and Ianto drove back to Gwen's in silence. It wasn't a long journey but Jack felt the silence was significant, it wasn't the sort of comfortable silence of two old friends but more the sort of silence that's saying something by being there, problem is you can't hear what it is. Focussing mainly on the road he took a glance at Ianto. The younger man sat to his left was leaning on the window gazing out into the city, his head was facing out the window so his expression was impossible to see. In his lap lay two new mobiles phones they had purchased that afternoon; Ianto has wanted something simple, small enough to go in his pocket that was capable of making calls, as much as Jack fancied something swish he only really needed something that could do the same. Once they had a hub and a team he could start thinking headsets and technology, for now they just needed to get up and running before the rift activity increased beyond throwing up bits of his past. Here he was planning the future, a future with Ianto. He took another glance at his passenger as they pulled up at the lights; as perfect as the day he'd lost him. But that worried him, here he was letting himself slip back in where he left off, knowing how painful it would be to loose him again. Yet here he was, planning a future for the two of them without a second thought. He felt real, he sounded like Ianto, everything about him seemed just the way it was, but really they knew very little about what had happened, or how long he might live, what he might be susceptible too. When Ianto talked about his "fate" earlier Jack had brushed it off, of course everything was fine, of course it was, on the outside he had to be strong be there. But thinking about it they really had no idea, he hoped Martha's exam would bring good news rather than bad.

Ianto watched the shoppers a bustling past each other on the pavement outside, the group of teenagers on their way back from school causing mayhem at the bus stop. He was vaguely aware of what was going on inside the car, although at the moment that was very little, Jack seemed to be happy to drive and leave him to his own thoughts. He felt like he'd already been told he was going to die, be gone soon. He couldn't talk to Jack about it, because Jack was in denial seemed to refuse to admit there was anything strange about being alive when you're already dead. What was he going to do? Admittedly torchwood had a history work beyond death, it wasn't a new concept really. He remembered Tosh and Owen, they hadn't returned, and he'd have given anything to see either of them right now, even Owen.

Jack pulled up right outside Gwen's house and stopped the SUV. The absence of the engine turning over and the replacement of shoppers with parked cars, pulled Ianto out of reflection back to here and now. He sat up and looked around. Jack appeared to be undoing his seatbelt as if about to get out.

"You can't just leave this here." Ianto said.

"Why not?" Jack's tone reminded Ianto of his young nephew when he'd just been scolded for doing something he shouldn't.

"Can't imagine." Undoubtedly sarcastic; not that there was a hint of that in his voice. "A great big SUV doubled parked in a small quiet residential street, blocking the whole road."

"Ok, ok." The engine restarted and Jack squeezed it into a space further up the street. Though it still looked out of place among the small 2 door cars that where parked on both sides.

"You ok?" Jack put a big arm round Ianto'd shoulders as they stood at Gwen's front door.

"Yeah." Ianto managed a smiled, but his voice sounded weary.


	11. Good or bad news?

"Have you seen what someone had dumped up the street!" Rhys was ranting all the way down the hall, "a bloody great big SUV, blacked out windows and everything, looks like that bloody monstoristiy you use to ride around in. Who needs one of them around here? Surely if they can afford one of those, not to mention its fuel, then why can't they afford to park it in their own drive." The kitchen door burst open. "I mean really, bloody cheek, that what it is Gwen."

Gwen, Jack and Ianto where sat around the kitchen table looking through print outs of houses and potential hubs. All three looked up as Rhys stormed into the kitchen.

"Hi hun, good day?" Gwen sounded bright.

Rhys surveyed the group at the table. "Yeah not bad. What you guys up to?"

"Ianto and I didn't think it was fair to out stay our welcome so we're having a look for a place of our own."

"A place of your own, right well, that will be nice won't it." Rhys peered over the table. "That's a bit ugly for a home though isn't it?" He said pointing at one of the potential hubs.

"Well, we had that one in mind as a new hub rather than a new home." Ianto informed.

"A new hub?" Rhys sounded cautious as he said the word.

"Yes, well Gwen's done a fantastic job while we've been away, but the rift activity looks to be picking up and I think we're going to need something a bit," Jack paused while he searched for the right word, "a bit bigger, than your study if we're going to deal with it proper."

"Deal with it?" Rhys was still cautious.

"Yes, that's what torchwood does." Jack sounded though he might loose his patience if anymore questions came his way.

"Torchwood, so you're going back into business?"

"Yes."

"Just the two of you?" Rhys pulled up a chair and joined them at the table.

"Erm," Jack looked at Gwen, Gwen looked from Rhys to Jack and back again. They'd never actually said anything about who would be part of the new torchwood but all had assumed that at least the 3 remaining members would form the foundations.

"No! No way!" Rhys stood up again, nearly knocking his chair over as he did so.

"Rhys, sit down." Gwen demanded.

"I will not. What were you thinking? He just waltzed back in here, coat flailing behind him and you're off, doing everything he asks. You have a daughter now you can't just abandon her. What do I say to her when Mummy doesn't make it home for tea again. When she's got a big part in the school concert, but oh no, you can't make it Gwen, no because you're off risking your life chasing aliens." Rhys turned his attention to Jack. "You are not destroying my family like you destroy everyone else, this is my family and you can't take that away."

"Rhys," Jack's voice was low and steady, "No one is going to take your family away from you. Gwen can do as many or as few hours as she wants, we can work things round Carys. This is about having the best people on the job, and Gwen is the best person for her job, she is welcome to be part of the team or not as she chooses. But that's as she chooses, it's her choice."

Rhys opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind and just looked exasperatedly at Gwen.

"I'm going to be part of this." Gwen said factually. She reached for his hand and squeezed it.

Rhys breathed out and sat down. Gwen and Jack exchanged glances. No one said anything.

The door bell rang.

"Can you get that Jack?" Gwen called from the kitchen, where she and Rhys were preparing tea.

"On my way," Ianto was already up and on his feet.

He turned the Yale lock, and pulled open the front door.

"Hi Ianto!" Martha was stood on the step black bag clutched in her left hand.

"You found it ok then?" Ianto asked, stepping back to let into the hallway.

"Yep, just gave the address to the taxi, and next thing you know, here I am."

"Great things taxi's" Ianto said.

"Yeah," Martha smiled, "Something smells good. Gwen in the kitchen?"

"Her and Rhys are cooking tea. Jacks sat at the table browsing property brochures."

"How exciting," said Martha, following Ianto down the hallway.

"Evening," Martha said poking her head into the kitchen.

"Martha!" Gwen exclaimed and left the pasta boiling as she dashed across to greet her properly. "How are you?"

"I'm great thanks, and you? And Carys?"

"Both well, she's asleep at the moment, don't think she stay that way much longer though."

Martha laughed.

"There's still 40minutes until the food is read. Its just pasta bake, sorry, nothing exciting."

"No that sounds lovely Gwen, much appreciated I promise."

Gwen smiled. "I'd best go keep on an eye on it. Make yourself at home."

"Hey Jack, Ianto said you were looking at properties."

"Yeah, what do you think?" Jack handed her a very angular looking new build with lots of glass.

"It's certainly different. The question is do you two like it?"

"I think it has potential" Said Ianto.

"I'm going to phone the agent in the morning." Jack said placing the papers back on the table.

"Do you think we could start the check now?" Ianto sounded nervous.

Martha looked at Jack and then at Ianto with a sympathetic smile, "of course, we should be able to get most of them done in half an hour. Where do you want to go?"

"Study" suggested Ianto.

Martha rummaged among the boxes of stuff in the study, and pulled out a collection of gadgets that Ianto remembered seeing in Owen's medical bay.

"You'll need to take your shirt off. See if you can find somewhere comfortable to sit."

Ianto pulled up the office chair, removed his shirt and sat down, he shivered as the cold leather touched his back.

"Sorry," said Martha, "can you sit forward a bit."

To begin with it was a bit like being at the school nurse. Martha examined his face, especially his eyes and mouth. Then she listened to his chest in various places front and back, the stethoscope even colder than the chair. The next bit was more like a try out for the school football team, and then it all got more involved and Ianto found himself donating the second sample of blood in as many days. Martha wrote notes on a small notepad, and ran a few tests on the blood. She began to examine his insides with the singularity scalpel.

"Please don't actually fire that thing." Ianto said, he knew all to well its history, and although it had saved both Martha and Gwen's lifes, he was sure there had been more accidents with it than cures.

"Would I?" Martha teased, "its just really useful to have a quick look inside, not often you get to that, not in this sort of detail anyway. I mean ultrasound is great, but it's a bit grainy and 2D.

Ianto managed a small smile.

"Right, all done." Martha said, stepping back and peeling off her purple gloves.

"Great," said Ianto unsteadily "is it good news?"


	12. A place to lay your hat

Thank you for your all reviews, but especially to FryConfesses who reminded me I had this Chapter nearly ready to go, but was delayed due to becoming ill last week! Here it is, Chapter 12, never realised I was going to write this much, but I am really enjoying it, so hope you all are too. Enjoy. Xoxo

* * *

"I can't find anything to suggest that you are anything other than a healthy human being." Martha said.

"Can't find?" Ianto didn't sound altogether reassured by Martha's comment. "So there might be something wrong but you've just not found it?"

"I've run every possible test going, done a full clinical exam and there are no abnormal findings anywhere."

"Right." Ianto stood up and began to redress. "Suppose we just wait then?"

"Go out and enjoy yourself." Martha smiled and repacked her black bag.

Ianto smiled back, but he didn't feel the great relief he had hoped for.

It might _only be pasta bake_ but it smelt something awesome as they opened the kitchen door.

"Just in time" Gwen called from the kitchen area.

Jack placed both hands on the back of a chair and looked up at Ianto and Martha. "So?"

"Nothing." Said Ianto, with a small shrug.

"Nothing?"

"Yeah, I'm fine apparently." Ianto nodded.

"I can't find anything abnormal with him" Martha said, then noticing Jack's questioning face, "and I've done everything possible to detect anything strange."

Jack smiled

"Officially human and healthy until proven otherwise." Martha declared.

"Well thank goodness for that." Rhys plonked a large tray of pasta on the table. "I thought he was going to wear a hole in the bloody carpet if he walked about much more."

Ianto smiled. He didn't like to worry Jack, but it was still nice to know he did.

Jack stood upright, "shall we eat then?"

"Yep tuck in," Gwen placed two large serving spoons into the bake.

"Are they always like this?" Rhys complained, waving the tea cloth in the general direction of the table.

"Not all the time." Came the reply from the cupboard beneath, Gwen carefully extracted herself so as to avoid any nasty head injuries. "At least they're dressed."

"I should hope so!" Rhys' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Well I think they're sweet." Martha said, placing another plate into the drying rack.

"Hmm" Rhys sounded unconvinced.

Gwen stood up to take the glasses from Rhys, and looked out across the worktop at the pair still sat at the table. Jack had pulled his chair up to face the side of Ianto's and one hand playing with his ear, while the other hand its fingers interlinked with one of his hands. Jack was talking softly, and she couldn't make out what he was saying; Ianto smiled in the pauses and occasionally nodded in response.

The following morning Ianto awoke to the sound of rain battering against the large bedroom window. He rolled over sleepily, the bed next to him was empty. Where was Jack? He dressed quickly and opened the bedroom door. No smell of bacon in the hall this morning, the bathroom door was ajar and the light was off, no one was in the shower. As his ears began to ignore the persistent rainfall he could make out a voice in the living room.

"Can you hear the rain? Can, you hear the rain? Can you?"

The accent was American and male. So by default it ought to be Jack, but it wasn't a tone Ianto associated with Jack.

"Today we're going to see a new hub. A new hub. A new hub."

He also appeared to be talking to himself. The door wasn't closed, nudging it open Ianto stepped inside. Jack was stood with his back to Ianto and didn't appear to have noticed his entrance.

"Yes. Yes. Your mum, me, Ianto, Martha. We're all going in the car. Yes, the car."

"Jack?"

Jack twisted his head to look at Ianto. Then he turned round to face him, Carys carefully wrapped in his right arm. "Morning Ianto, say good morning to Ianto" his voice changed to impersonate a small child "morning Ianto."

"Thought you were talking to yourself for a while there." Ianto said.

"Thought I'd finally lost it did you? No Carys and I were just getting to know each other." He turned his attention to Carys, "isn't that right." He looked up, smiling from ear to ear.

Ianto returned his smile, though it took some effort. "You look very natural with her."

Jack searched Ianto's face, his tone of voice had indicated that the previous statement wasn't necessarily a compliment. "She's a very relaxed baby." Jack said plainly.

"Hmm." Ianto pulled a small smile. "Guess you've held a fair few over the years."

Jack didn't meet his gaze. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"Nothing." Ianto defended. "Just a thought really."

"Really?" Jack's tone was slight inquisitive slightly challenging and Ianto wasn't sure he liked it.

"Really."

"Was it a solitary thought, or one of many?" The challenge was fading from his tone.

"I do tend to have more than one though from time to time." Ianto replied dryly.

"Any more you feel you ought to share with me?"

Ianto could tell the sarcasm hadn't gone down well. "Well, you've had children of your own before, so you, you," he paused "know how to hold them."

Jack searched his face once more.

"You look happy with her, I wondered if you were wishing you'd have more and well I, we can't you know..." he trailed off as he caught Jack's expression.

Jack's face relaxed, it looked like he might laugh, but he didn't. Just. "No. No Ianto, that was not what I was thinking."

Ianto looked away from Jack towards the window. "Right, well that's that all clear then."

Jack gave a small cough, and smirked at him. "Come on, Gwen must be ready by now, let's get going."

Although he couldn't see Jack's expression as he followed him down the hall, he could just about feel the nearly uncontrollable laughter.

Cary's babyseat took up the front seat of the car, so Gwen, Martha and Ianto had all piled into the back row.

"Well this is fun!" Martha looked down the row at Gwen and Ianto.

"Don't think I'd like to go a huge distance though." Ianto commented.

"You got a problem being sat in the back row with two gorgeous ladies either side of you?" Gwen poked him between his floating ribs. Martha turned and grinned at them both.

"I didn't mean that." Ianto said holding his hands up, "and anyway we're all already spoken for."

"Drat!" exclaimed Gwen, slapping her thigh, "I hadn't noticed. Wondered what that big wedding was all about!"

Martha giggled. Ianto rolled his eyes. He was emmensley glad when the docks came into sight.

"Everyone body out!" Jack called as the car came to an abrupt stop outside a large grey unit and the end of the road.

Gwen bundled Carys out of her car seat into her arms while Jack cuffed Ianto playfully round the head and strode over to the smart business man who had just appeared in the entrance to the unit.

It had always been their favourite of the three locations Ianto had come up with on-line, and it lived up to expectation in really life too. It was big, very big. Easy access by road, but not on the main stretch so they weren't likely to be bothered by too many people. No where near as cool as the old water hub, but then times moved on and sometime you just have to go with what you can.

"We'll take it" Said Jack to the agent.

"Great" he said, "there's a bit of paperwork to do, and few cheques and if you sort out you're payment."

Jack interrupted him. "We're torchwood." He said, "we'll have it. Hand our paperwork to Gavin Rae when he returns from holiday, tell him I say hi. In the meantime we'll have the keys."

The agent looked slightly stunned. "Right." He said slowly. "I'll just have a word with my manager, hold on." And with that he separated himself from the group and dialled his mobile.

"Gavin Rae?" Ianto whispered to Jack.

"Old friend of mine." Jack nodded as if this explained all. "Met him a while back when one of his flats attacked his tenants. Sorted it out. He's been very useful since then."

"Useful." Ianto nodded. "So it's not just a coincidence that your favourite house was also by the same agent?"

"Our favourite." Jack corrected him.

Ianto waited, incase his original question might be answered. But apparently not. _Our_ favourite.

The estate agent returned he looked slightly bemused but handed the keys to Jack.

"My manager informs me you can have the key's to number 24 as well. I thought you might like to see it, but he tells me that may not be necessary."

"Ah yes, that would be great. Thank you." And jack held out his hand as another set of keys was placed on top of the first.

"Well, nice to do business with you Mr Harkness. Hope you and your family settle in well."

Jack shook his hand and watched as he hurried out of the unit. He turned and was confronted by the other three standing staring each with their own special look of slight confusement.

"And thats is?" Gwen said.

"Thats it." He said proudly, surveying the new hub. "Welcome to Torchwood 3.1"

Martha laughed. Ianto sighed. Gwen smiled, she could feel the excitement warming though her.

_Bring briiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing...._

_Bring briiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing...._

"Oh!" exclaimed Gwen "that's my phone. Quick someone take Carys." She thrust the young child into Ianto's chest. His arms reacted quickly, while his brain took a few seconds to catch up. He stood uncomfortably trying his best to cradle Carys as he'd seen Jack do just an hour ago.

"Andy?" Gwen held the phone to her ear.

"Yes, yes we're just down by the docks."

"Oh right, another?"

"Yes, same place?"

"Right, can you meet us back at mine?"

"No? Well thats ok, we'll come pick it up from the station then."

"Cheers. See you soon."

"Andy's got another box of stuff that be found in the wood. He's got stuff to do at the station I said we'd drop by and collect it." Gwen looked apologetic. The lack of response from Jack lead to the pleasing expression.

"Come on then." He was already a good few strides out in front of them greatcoat swaying behind him. "let's hope it mostly harmless. We're not set to deal with anything major yet."


	13. Who you gonna call?

A large black SUV screeched into the parking area at Cardiff police station. Jack lept out the driver's side door and dashed round the front of the vehicle to the station door. Gwen opened her door slowly and went to fetch Carys, Ianto climbed out after her and straightened out his suit.

"Come on you lot," Jack called from the door way, "I don't want this taking any longer than it has to."

"Someone's in a hurry." Gwen said to Ianto.

A lady dressed in police uniform appeared in the doorway.

"Can I help you sir?" She said to Jack, her tone wasn't exactly friendly.

"I think you might," he flashed a grin "Torchwood, looking PC Andy Davidson."

"Oh" she sighed. "Yes he's through here."

Jack and the others followed the lady through to a small office at the back where Andy sat at a computer.

"Gwen," he said with a great big smile across his face, "I'm glad you're here, sorry I couldn't pop over quite a lot happening last night so I've got a mound of paper work to clear up this morning."

"What have you got?" Jack said

"Well, it looks like a pile of broken mirrors to me but it shouldn't have just popped up in the forest, again exactly where he did." Andy nodded in Ianto's direction.

"Great. At least it's not alive then." He scooped up the box, "let's get this lot back to the hub."

"You've chosen a new place then?" Andy asked, but Jack was already out the door.

"Yeah, saw an hour ago infact." Ianto said and looked down the corridor after Jack. "We'd really better go with him. Sorry."

"We'll leave you to it," Gwen put her hand on his shoulder, "sorry" she said pulling a small regretful face, then she and Martha left too.

"What's the hurry for Sir?" Ianto caught up with Jack at the boot.

"The hurry?"

"The hurry?" Ianto confirmed.

"The rift is chucking out things from the old hub and increasing activity levels by the hour. So far we have no idea why and no sort of way of dealing with its 'offerings'."

Ianto sighed, he had a point. As much he was quite glad to be here alive, if it started throwing weevils or pterodactyls or anything more dangerous they were going to be in trouble.

When they got back to Gwen's house Gwen left Jack, Ianto and Martha looking at the rift monitor while she tucked Carys in for her afternoon nap.

"Well" said Ianto, trying to sound helpful "There is one noticeable positive spike for every collection we've picked up."

"And," Martha added "inbetween times it sort of fluctuates but nothing much either way and I'm sure if we altered the scale it would look almost like a flat line."

"But why is it doing it?" Jack asked.

Ianto and Martha looked at each other, they really didn't know. Ianto ran his hand through his hair, "I wish Tosh was here" He said.

"Yeah me too." Jack managed to small but sad smile.

"She'd do some sort of analysis, tell us when the text one might be, make some prediction about the source or at least the pattern." Ianto said regretfully.

"You could ask Mickey." Martha suggested.

"Hmm," Jack looked at the ceiling and then back at Martha "you think he'd cope?"

"He's fought the cybermen, the daleks, tracked the doctor and worked for torchwood in another universe, I can't think of anyone with a better CV."

"True," Jack breathed in, "very true. You got his number?"

"Yep should be in here somewhere." Martha removed her phone from her pocket.

"I'm sure he's a lovely guy, but who is Mickey?" Ianto asked.

"He's a another acquaintance of the Doctor," Jack said, "He was there when the Daleks decided to move a collection of planets to another location."

"And he knows how to switch a computer on?"

"Oh yes," Jack flashed one of his many suggestive grins, "and he knows exactly which buttons to press."

Ianto rolled his eyes.

"You're not serious?" Martha gave him a disbelieving look.

"About the computer, deadly serious." Jack was nothing other than straight faced.

A smile spread across Martha's face and she slapped Jack across the shoulder before pressing call. Jack laughed, Ianto raised his eyebrows and returned to the computer, sometimes reality was difficult to understand simply because Jack existed.

"Mickey!"

"I'm good thanks and you?" Martha smiled at the other two and played with her hair.

"Good, good. No I'm in Cardiff actually, with Jack."

"Yes he's back, and yeah he seems well."

"Well actually Ianto is here too."

Yeah thats kinda why I'm calling..." Martha pulled a nervous expression as she waited for the response.

"Well, we're having a bit of trouble interpreting some Rift data, its all a bit computery for me. Wondered if you might fancy giving us a hand?"

"Well I'm sure Jack could get you a ticket on the next train if you're free today?"

Martha gave the thumbs up to Jack and Ianto. Jack gave her two back and prodded Ianto.

"London to Cardiff asap." he whispered.

"Right you are sir." Ianto brought up the web browser and starting booking some tickets. He wasn't sure why the Sir had slipped back in, but sometime when Jack and Martha were together he felt rather like outsider. It wasn't that he minded Jack had friends, infact it was somewhat of a relief to know he did; especially one as adorable as Martha. He just wished that Jack was consistent with his attention, rather blowing all hot and cold, it left him very confused.

"Any luck?" Jacks voice disturbed his thoughts.

"Yes, yes he can get the same one Martha did and we can pick him up this afternoon."

"Great." Jack patted him on the shoulder and turned to Martha.

"Got it." She said with a smile and returned to her phone call.

The door to the study moved and Gwen entered the room.

"How's it all going then? We in for a flood of activity?"

"We're not sure." Ianto said.

"If it continues as it should be this evening before anything else arrives." Jack added in. "A friend of ours," he indicated at Martha and himself, "Mickey, he's coming through from London to give us a bit of a hand with the rift prediction stuff."

"And he's staying?"

"I've booked him into the Hotel with Martha." Ianto said.

"Knew we hired you for more than your suit." Jack nodded appreciatively in Ianto's direction. Ianto managed a smile.

"So what now?"

"Well," Jack began, "I think we're got a few hours before Mickey gets here, so I suggest we load this stuff into the SUV and then you girls can have nice afternoon doing whatever it is you get up to when you have time off. Ianto and I will drop it off at the hub and then we've got a house to see and some shopping to do."

"Ooo," Martha said, "sounds like fun."

"You've got our new mobile numbers, call us if anything looks vaguely suspicious."

"I can bring one of Tosh's PDAs just incase." said Ianto.

"Right lets go team." Jack said grabbing a box from the pile in the corner.


	14. Over the threshold

Hellooo! Apologises this has taken so long to go up, and is somewhat short. Its quite descriptive about the house really, I just had a really vivid picture of the new place, so its mainly that. Story continuation coming up next chapter, promise :) Hope everyone had a good Christmas. Xoxo

* * *

It didn't take long for the four of them to load everything out of the study into the SUV. Jack sped across Cardiff through the lunchtime traffic down to the new Hub. It took a little longer for the two of them to unload but jack was quite determined that the boxes where merely being dropped off, no trying to unpack them. Though Ianto insisted they at least left them in a neat pile.

"Right next stop, number 24" Jack said as the engine burst into life.

"Number 24." Said Ianto smiling in agreement.

Houses flew past on their right, and the bay occupied most of the view out the passenger window. Then the SUV turned right and the bay was gone for view, they headed down a quiet terraced street where the houses sat up against the pavement, and turned left down another. This street had houses on one side; the other side had a wall with garage doors evenly spaced along its length. Jack parked the SUV between a pair of green garage doors.

"You ready?" he said turning to Ianto.

Ianto looked across the road to Number 24. A For Sale sign stood in the only front garden present along the entire length of the street. Set back from the road by a short stretch of gravel, Number 24 looked like a large ice cube, or possibly a slice of battenburg only less pink. The front face was split evenly into four squares, two pure glass, two just plain plastered white wall. There was no sign of a door, but then the stepping stones in the grass appeared to trail off down the side of the house, so perhaps the door was down there.

"It looks as out of place in real life as it did in the pictures." Ianto concluded.

"Shall we look inside?" Jack dangled the new set of key in off his right thumb.

"No time like the present." Ianto opened his door and slipped out.

Jack offered his arm as Ianto walked round the front of the bonnet. Ianto accepted, slipping his right arm though the gap and holding on to Jack's upper arm. They made their way down the side of the house, which appeared to be split into almost 8 squares, 4 along the ground floor and just 3 on the first floor. Again alternating white and glass, a door was placed in the 3rd square of the lower floor. Jack popped the key in the lock and turned it, he pushed the door open with a foot, and then much to Ianto's surprise scooped him up and carried him in over the threshold.

"Thanks" said Ianto slightly unsure and Jack placed on the floor.

"Well I'm not normally one for tradition, but even that made it to the 51st century." Jack closed the door.

"I think it's normally when newly weds move into their first home."

"Right," said Jack, "think that bit had got a bit stretch by the time I met it."

"Apparently." Said Ianto distractedly. His eyes were taking in the view all around him, his brain was trying to process both the incredible house and the fact that he'd just been 'scooped' up.

Jack watched Ianto as he stood frozen to the spot in the hall. They'd both liked this one best in the catalogue, and he was sure that was look of please disbelief rather than a frown that was spreading across the younger man's face. Looking around himself, he could see an expanse of laminate flooring and a mixture of white and glass walls. To his left was a dining table with 6 chairs, beyond that to the front of the house was a beautiful black marble kitchen, the rest of the downstairs was pretty much open plan apart from only room with 2 solid interior walls in the far rear of the property.

"Shall we?" Ianto was stood by the bottom of the staircase pointing towards the ceiling.

"Bedroom upstairs I believe." Said Jack with a cheeky smile occupying most of his face.

Ianto rolls his eyes, but started up the stair all the same; Jack took a couple of flying steps across the hall and jumped the stairs two at a time to catch Ianto as he reached the top of the flight. They stood on a square landing, the sun from outside streaming in the two glass panelled wall, with a door on each of the other two walls.

"Nice balcony" Ianto said looking out to the rear of the property.

"Guest room" Jack said with his head stuck in one door.

"This would be the master bedroom then." Ianto suggested holding the other door open for Jack

"Whooooooooo." Jack whistled as he stepped inside.

"Nice." Ianto said joining him in the long room. "Perhaps we should buy a bed for in here. I know you don't sleep much but should we get the chance to come home once in a while it would be nice to have somewhere comfy to come back to."

"Yeah," said Jack, "what sort of thing do you fancy?" he was all flirt as he ran his hands down Ianto's sides.

"I dunno," Ianto said trying to ignore the shivers running up his spine. "Something with 4 legs perhaps?"

Jack raised one eyebrow and just looked at him.

"What?" Ianto looked confused with a hit of indignant mixed in.

"4 legs? Is that the best you could come up with?"

"Its somewhat convential, sir."

"Well, how about you lose the sir, and I take you bed shopping for something a little," he paused, "special."

"I was serious about it having 4 legs."

"I'm sure you were, but that still leaves us quite a choice." Jack was already on the landing heading for the stairs. Ianto closed the bedroom door and followed him down, he had a feeling that shopping with Jack was going to be a little more hair raising than any other shopping experience to date.


	15. Things you find when unpacking

Ianto checked his watch, then he checked again. He wasn't quite sure were time had gone, a few hours ago they were choosing a bed and now he was stood in the toiletry aisle of the supermarket while Jack asked his opinion on bubble bath.

"I don't have a preference Jack, but we really need to go now."

"You're keen. I like keen." Jack flashed Ianto an enormous grin.

"We need to go pick Mickey up from the station."

"Right," Jack said rather blandly, "yes so we do."

They paid for the shopping and squeezed it into the boot before making a mad dash through Cardiff to the station. By the time they got to the car park Mickey was already standing there, mobile in his hand.

"Mickey" Jack called out the driver's window as he turned the SUV to a stop in front of him.

"Jack!" Mickey exclaimed, "nice" he said approving, nodding his head as he admired the SUV.

"Jump in. We're on a mission"

"Right you are." Mickey opened the back door and lept into the seat, slamming the door shut behind him. "What the... someone's been shopping."

"Yeah, Ianto I have a new home. Ianto meet Mickey, Mickey meet Ianto the more respectable part of my life."

"Hi." Said Ianto politely.

"Hi" Said Mickey enthusiastically from the back seat. "So, where are we off to?"

"First we need to pick up Gwen and Martha and then we're taking you straight to the hub, I need you to analyse some tracings of Rift activity for us. Ianto has booked you into Cardiff's finest should you get a chance to sleep."

"Great."

The trio arrived laden with shopping bags taking up most of Gwen's long entrance hall.

"Jack you can't just leave that there, you're blocking the road again!" Gwen exclaimed after noticing the SUV abandoned in the street outside.

"We're not stopping." He yelled from the spare room. "Martha help Ianto and Mickey with the last of these bags out the SUV."

"More bags?" Martha asked.

"Don't ask." Said Ianto as he made his way out of the spare room.

"Right." Said Martha as she and Mickey exchanged looks and followed Ianto back out to the SUV.

"So that was Mickey then." Said Gwen peering down the path to the street.

"That was Mickey," said Jack. "The bed doesn't arrive until tomorrow morning, but once its gone I promise we'll be out of your hair."

"No worries," said Gwen, "It's been fun having you around, Rhys has enjoyed it too." She added a nod to the final comment, it did nothing to convince Jack that Rhys had found their guests anything other than somewhat of a disruption to his life.

"Get what you need from here, and lets go, they've got the last of the bags."

"Right ho." Gwen disappeared towards her bedroom. Then there was a shout "If you can collect Carys from her bouncer I'll just pick up my handbag and we're all set."

Ianto, Martha and Mickey dumped the last of the bags into the spare bedroom, the sight of carpet had become some what of a rare event. Carefully they picked their way out into the hall, apparently one of the bags contain crockery and Ianto didn't want that broken. Out in the hall Jack was standing with Carys in his arms, and Gwen was just appearing behind him with her handbag.

"Right team lets go!" Jack annouced and set off towards the door, Carys in arms, coat flapping behind him.

A neatly arranged pile of boxes greeted them on their return to the hub. Otherwise as far as Mickey could see this was nothing other than a warehouse, not at all spectacular place he had imagined when Martha and Jack had talked about the hub a while back.

"First things first." Jack said as the group just stood inside the door way.

"Get these boxes unpacked, preferably the workstations first, I want Mickey to be able to get his hands on the rift data sooner rather than later. Once you've got one workstation in place I want Mickey to be left in piece to exam it. Gwen and Ianto you two get unpacking the rest, I need the stuff that came through the rift catalogued and I want it cross checked with the archives, you'll need another computer for that. I want to know anything about them that might link them to each other, or you," he sort a look at Ianto, not the sort of I love you look he might have hoped for, more a sort of what the hell are you kinda look. "size, arrival at torchwood, use that day, use every day, whatever we need to know."

"Might just be co-incidence Jack?" Gwen offered.

"If its co-incidence then we need to rule everything else out. Co-incidence is what people say when they can't be bothered to work out what actually happened. Torchwood is hear to find out why the unexplained happened."

"And to cover it up" Ianto muttered.

"Anyone got any questions?" Jack surveyed his group. Gwen with Carys smiling expectantly at him, Mickey in his black coat still taking in the empty expanse, Ianto stood with his hands in his pockets alternating his gaze between the boxes and his feet, and then Martha, the voice of a nightingale, beaming back at him shivering slightly in the draft.

"Ah, Martha!" He said. "You would be best to make a list of what you want in the medical area, and then start getting that in place."

"Right you are Jack," she took herself and her bag over to a corner of the hub, "you know I'm not staying, even if you build me my own medical suite."

"I know," said Jack, "but there's always time to change your mind and I wouldn't want you disappointed if you did." He grinned. Martha rolled her eyes and continued to unpack her own laptop.

An hour later Martha was typing away on the laptop, while Jack and Gwen unpacked boxes, Ianto had one of the laptops balanced on an empty cardboard box and was cross checking the archives with every item. They'd set Mickey up with the only desktop computer in the place complete with Torchwood server connection and full database access. Jack was grateful that some of the stuff the rift had thrown out or Gwen had salvaged were at least some of the fundamental alien tech that they would never have been able to replace otherwise.

"Jack?" Mickey called from behind the screen. "I think I've got something."

Jack lept out of the middle of a pile of boxes and jogged over to stand behind Mickey. Ianto and Gwen stopped what they were doing and followed him over.

"You see this big negative snowball of rift activity at the time of the bombing?" Mickey said pointing at it on the screen. "And you see this series of posistive spikes you've seen the last couple of days?" he continued.

Jack nodded. "Yep we'd spotted them."

Was that sarcasm Mickey detected in the Captains voice? "Well, watch this." Mickey brought up another couple of boxes side by side on the screen. "This one is that snow ball we saw earlier," Mickey explained, to be fair even a child could probably have drawn that conclusion. "If we greatly stretch the timeline," he dragged the end of the snowball towards the edge of the screen, it retained its amplitude but the gap between the time intervals changed so that rather than looking at seconds space out by a mm or so, they were now looking at mmsecs spaced out by about 20 cm! "if we look closely you can see that the snowball is actually a series of individual spikes happening in very quick succession."

"Agreed" said Jack, "so what does that have to do with now, we know what happened then, I exploded and we became Britain's most wanted."

"Yes. But if we do something similar with the activity of the last couple of days." Mickey returned to the second box, which showed a trace of activity in the last 72hrs. This time he altered the time axis so that the last 3 days fitted into just 2cm of screen. "See the similarity?" He said excitement in his voice and his eyes.

"Its backwards" said Ianto, running a hand through his hair.

"Exactly" said Mickey extending his arms a little in celebration. "and even better than that the spacing between spikes appears to be proportional, so at a rough guess I'd say we're not due another present until midnight tonight, and then it will probably look that" he pointed at a spike from the explosion snowball.

"Nice work Mickey" Jack patted him on the shoulder. "Martha?" he yelled.

"Yes Jack?" she looked up from her corner.

"We've got a reprieve."

"Great" she smiled "I'm nearly done with this list."

"Ok," Jack turned back to the others. "It's just gone 6, I think we all deserve some food and Mickey ought to get checked into his hotel. Gwen I need you to phone Andy and get him to fence off the forest area, tell him we'll keep an eye on it then get yourself home to your family."

"But Jack" Gwen protested

"Gwen, go home, see your husband, have an evening with your daughter, get some rest and I'll pick you at 11pm. I don't want to hear from you before then."

"Fine" She said and gathered up Carys and her handbag, "call me if anything happens."


	16. Piece by piece

Hi Guys!

I decided to name my chapters to hopefully make it easy to find certain bits of the story if you're looking for them. I hoping to continue this story so I'm trying build in some plot as well as the characters relationships. Hope it everyone is still in enjoying, thank you so much for everyone who added me to their story alert or favourite story after the last chapter went up, its lovely to have you guys on board. Reviews, constructive criticism always appreciated. Rach Xoxo

p.s. obviously and unfortunately I still don't own torchwood. But the spelling mistakes etc are my own.

* * *

"Chinese or pizza?" Jack asked, as the hub door slid shut behind Gwen.

"Chinese" said Ianto. As much as he liked pizza he did think variety could only be good.

"One for Chinese, Martha? Mickey?" Jack asked.

Mickey looked up from the computer "Chinese is fine with me mate."

"Martha?" Jack called.

She looked up smiling, "Chinese sounds lovely."

"Chinese it is! Mickey see what else you can get out of those readings, Ianto I want to know everything there is to know about those pieces of hub. Martha? You coming?"

"Where?"

"For a ride" Jack said flashing a signature smile. "My wheels are fast."

"With you? Anywhere." Martha replied.

"I wouldn't take any of that if I was his boyfriend." Mickey chipped in.

Ianto didn't say anything, he tried to look absorbed in the rumble that came out the rift. A silence fell around the Warehouse. Jack and Martha left.

Ianto looked through his many boxes of rubble now organised by type and labelled with a tag which detailed their time of discovery in the forest and original entry to the hub. Looking at them like this it really didn't look like anything special, more like recycling waiting to go to the tip. Or, Ianto thought as he sat among the boxes, it actually looked like lots of jigsaws. A bit like Christmas day when he was younger and he and his sister had both received a jigsaw. The excitement of such a present was always in the unwrapping, neither had much interest in actually putting them together so eventually when his mum was watching tv and his dad was asleep on the sofa, the boxes lay untouched on the floor. Remembering the tiles that had spelt "Tor" in the rubble boxes from a couple of days ago, Ianto began putting together his giant multibox 3D jigsaw.

"Ianto?" Mickey stuck his head round the screen.

"Yes?" Ianto looked up, and brushed the dirt off his suit.

"Mate, look, I'm sorry about earlier, the boyfriend comment, I just well, you know it seemed funnier in my head."

Ianto smiled, "It's fine, really, don't worry about it. I've had worse."

"No but seriously," Mickey persisted, "you guys, you are, right?"

"Are what?" Ianto asked, no hint or suggestion in his tone.

"Together," Mickey inclined his head.

"We, we're," Ianto thought, what where they? The immortal and the return of yet another Torchwood member from the dead. Strange, that's what they were, wrong even! "We dabble." He said. After all that's what he'd told Martha when she'd asked, it was simple leave them to their own conclusions. Although to be fair a lot had happened since then.

"Dabble?" Mickey asked, looking like he was about to laugh, "I've seen Jack when he's 'dabbling' you ain't dabbling mate you're seriously swimming!"

Ianto looked back at Mickey eyebrows slightly raised.

"No, no. Don't be daft, not like that." Mickey took his hands off the keyboard and placed one on each leg. "I mean when I met him, back with the Doctor and Rose, you know he was a flirt, anything with a heart beat was game, and I mean anything. But with you, man it's different I think he really cares." He went back to his screen. "It's nice. It suits him."

Ianto wasn't sure what to make of this little exchange, as it was he didn't have long to think. Jack himself came bursting into the warehouse carrier bag in one hand, bottles in the other, coat flailing out behind him.

Mickey had the chair they had taken from Gwen's study and the other three found themselves a box or large piece of brickwork to perch on.

"Still hot." Ianto commented as he tried to balance his tray of sweet and sour without burning his leg.

"Why thank you," Jack replied, "not lookin' too bad yourself." He flashed Ianto a smile and followed it with a wink. Ianto just rolled his eyes and tucked into his food.

"If this is what it's like working for your Torchwood, this is definitely a plus," Mickey said still chewing his mouthful of food.

"You like?" Jack said.

"Yeah definitely." Mickey said adding another fork full to his mouth.

"Well, if we get this under control there's a job waiting for you at the other end if you want it."

Mickey nearly choked, "you serious?" he asked when he managed to regain his composure.

"Am I ever anything else?" Jack asked.

"Well," Mickey began and then seemed to think better of it. "Cheers Jack." He said.

"No problem, welcome aboard." Jack and Mickey both smiled. "You got much news on this rubble?" Jack pointed at the pile of brickwork he was sitting on.

"I couldn't see much at first," he began, "but then I started physically piecing bits together, like a jigsaw, and well, I've only done a few bits, but from what I've got so far it looks like most of it is from one place in the hub."

"Oh?" Jack turned his head slightly to the side in a sort of go on I'm interested kind of pose.

"Well, those letters we've got on the tiles, there are more of them, think I've pretty much got Torchwoo now. And then the stuff from the medical bay well there's a trolley and those rails that used to stop us falling into its pit. The rest of the brickwork's a bit more tricky. But I'm sure we've got a few sections of the water tower and I've definitely pieced together most of the lift that I was stood on at the time of the blast."

"Well," said Jack, "Now this is interesting, so what we need to know is how and why this stuff is falling out the rift, and how much more of it is to come."

Mickey placed his empty dish on the floor.

"I've looked at the timelines and I reckon there is only another 36 hours or so to go until all the spikes from the snowball have occurred."

"Snowball?" Martha asked, "Is that a technical term."

"Unless you know a better one!" Mickey offered, and then continued. "So there shouldn't be too much to go."

"What you're saying," Ianto began, "is that myself and some of the hub somehow got trapped in the rift in the snowball and fell out a year later? But we've seen what being taken by the rift does people. There's no sign of that on me? Is there?" He turned to Martha.

"No not at all," she said shaking her head a little, "I promise your exam was perfectly clear, I'd have picked up something like that."

"We know what happens when the rift takes people." Jack said reassuringly, "but you weren't taken. It looks like the explosion has in someway upset the rift and resulted in your replication together with a segment of the hub."

"So," Mickey began, excitement rising in his voice, "if the bomb forced you and some of the hub into the rift, perhaps you didn't actually get in, perhaps you just 'bounced' off?"

"And being a rift in time and space," Martha said, pupils dilating slightly, "you could bounce off anywhere in time and space, and you landed here, just one year later than before."

"That's a nice theory." Jack said.

"You don't think its plausible?" Ianto asked.

"I think a lot, but I don't know it's plausible and until I'm sure, I want to know exactly where each of these things were relative to each other at the time the bomb exploded. I also want to know what else is left to come. I do not want a bomb exploding in that forest and I can not under any circumstances allow a replication of myself come through that rift, that is a paradox I do not want to have to deal with. Understood?"

"Understood." Mickey and Ianto said almost in unison, both standing up and going back to their work.

"Ianto," Mickey shouted, "I've got the plans of the hub up here, can you come and show me the location of the stuff we've got and I'll see if I can come up with any patterns to their locations."

Ianto climbed out of what now looked like a model of the central section of the old hub, and stood by the computer with Mickey as they plotted the points across the screen. With time the screen looked like a 2 tone representation of what they had found. Places of items found marked with a blue dot, the architectural plans in red lines and the rest just black space.

"Ok," Mickey said, "So it looks like we've got the start of a sphere."

"A sphere is continuous," Ianto said. "It doesn't have a start."

Mickey looked at him. "What?! Ok, so it looks like we have parts of a sphere."

"Agreed." Ianto said nodding his head.

"What's that?" Jack said, "Are those the voices of progress?" He dashed over. "Nice work boys. So what's coming through next?"

"I'll need to run some analysis on the co-ordinate data before I can even begin to take a guess at that Jack." Mickey said.

"Right, well you keep on with that." Jack turned to go, "Martha, SUV now, we're going to pick Gwen up and see what's in store for us at the forest."

"Sir?" Ianto said, before Jack was out of ear shot.

"Ianto," Jack said turning back round, "I thought we'd got past that again?"

"Jack then," Ianto said, "I thought perhaps I should drive and you should stay with Mickey?"

"You have a reason behind that thought?" Jack said one eyebrow raised.

"Well, you said there might be replication of you, and I know so far its looks like it's just the shell of a sphere that's coming through, but you can never be to careful."

Jack considered this for a few seconds. "No that's a good point, and if the bomb comes through?"

"The car is said to be explosion proof" Ianto said with a smug smile.

"Then don't leave the vehicle."

Ianto turned to go.

"Nice touch by the way," Jack added.

Ianto's smile widened, Jack handed him the car keys and he offered Martha his arm as they left to get Gwen.


	17. Waiting in the dark

"Well this is exciting." Marth exclaimed as they drove to Gwen's.

"Yeah, thrilling." Ianto said mildly confused and pulling an equally confused face.

"Don't look like that," Martha said. "I think its exciting."

"Do you think he's serious about the bomb?"

"I think he considers it a serious possibility," she stuck out her lower lip while she thought, "but to be completely honest, and I'm not an expert, but from what Mickey said it sounds more likely to be just more hub stuff don't you think?"

"True." Ianto said, though he didn't sound convinced.

"Cheer up, this thing is bomb proof right?"

"I think that is the least of our problems; can you image two Jacks?"

A cheeky grin spread across Martha's face. "Could be fun." She said winking at him.

Ianto rolled his eyes, and breathed out. That wasn't what he meant.

Gwen was equally eager, she came dashing out the house and lept into the back of the SUV.

"All set?" She asked.

"All set." Said Martha, raising her shoulder as she turned to exchange smiles with Gwen.

Ianto negotiated the residential streets back to the main road before making full use of the powerful engine.

They sat, and they waited.

And then they waited a bit more.

"Well this is definitely what I call exciting." Ianto said to Martha.

Martha raised her eyebrows, "our company not stimulating enough for you?"

Ianto smiled. "You're company is excellent as always."

Martha's smiled widened.

"Oh! This is it." Said Gwen, showing them the screen on Tosh's PDA which now showed a spike of rift activity.

"Well, no explosion at least." Said Ianto reaching for his door handle.

Martha grabbed his other elbow and pulled him back. "Don't you think we should wait a bit? Just in case." She said.

The three of them sat there. Waiting. Again.

A minute passed, but it felt like an hour.

"Ok, thats enough." Said Gwen and she climbed down out of the SUV.

"Cold feet?" Said Ianto

"Not a chance," said Martha and she too lept out of the SUV.

"You do realise that we have no idea the exact location it's been dumping things." Ianto pointed out.

"Well you were there weren't you?" Martha said.

Ianto looked at her. "Precise location of where I was, wasn't the first thing on my mind."

"Oi!" Gwen interupted, "Andy got it fenced off, its not a huge area so it won't take long, if people out walking can come across it by accident, I'm sure between three of us actually looking for it we'll be ok."

Of course, she was right. After ducking under the police tap the pile of glass and brick lying beneath the trees stood out like a sore thumb even in the dark.

"Bingo!" Said Gwen, lighting the pile with her torch and smiling proudly.

Three full boxes later, the glass and bricks where neatly stored in the boot of the SUV.

"Job done." Gwen said, as they all settled back into the SUV.

"Job done." Said Ianto in agreement.

"Next stop, the hub." Martha announced and turned up the radio.

A selection of love songs filled the air.

"Why do they always play these at this time of night?" Gwen asked.

"Only the lonely listen to the radio at this time of night?" Martha suggested.

"Do we count as lonely?" Ianto asked.

"Well I have Rhys." Said Gwen, "and Carys, so I don't think I count."

Neither Ianto or Martha said anything.

Gwen pursed her lips and looked cautiously from one to the other in the front. Both looked straight ahead, choosing to ignore the previous comment.

"Maybe we should make some CD's mixes," Gwen suggested, "then we wouldn't have to listen to the radio."

"I like the local station though," Ianto said, "get some interesting tip offs in the late night shows."

"I find the news helps to bring me back in with real life." Martha said.

"Right well, it was just a suggestion." Gwen said and slumped back into her seat.

Jack and Mickey were waiting for them as they pulled up at the warehouse.

"All go ok?" Jack asked as Ianto stepped out the drivers side.

"Yeah, its in the boot."

"You ok?" He said as both girls appeared.

"Nothing to it." Martha said.

"Great, lets get it inside and then I think we call it a night."

Ianto and Gwen already had the boot open and were carrying a large box across to the door. Mickey and Martha grabbed the next one and followed them in. The remaining box had a few panes of glass, but nothing else. Jack careful removed the last box from the boot and locked the SUV.

"Mickey reckons the next lot is due about 10am." Jack announced. "In the meantime I suggest we all get some sleep. Lets drop Mickey and Martha at their Hotel and then we'll head back to yours Gwen."

"And tomorrow?" Martha said.

"Tomorrow." Jack said smiling that smile that said I have a secret I'm going to let you in on. "Tomorrow," he continued, "we should see the last of this little outburst."

"Oh?" Ianto said.

"Yeah," Jack said, "Mickey's been busying look at the locations for things that have come through and he thinks we're due for a complete replication of the sphere, but just the things that were present on the surface. So no bombs."

Gwen smiled and nodded in approval.

"Hopefully." Jack said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Hopefully?" Said Gwen, "judging by your more relaxed state I'd say you're pretty confident."

"I trust my team." Said Jack. "Come on now, home time. It's not often I get to say that."

The next morning Ianto woke to sun streaming in the bedroom window. Someone had opened the curtains and the bright light was nearly blinding. Eyes screwed up in an attempt to able to make out his surrounding he rolled over and peered across the bed. There was a definite lack of Jack. That man really didn't seem to need to sleep. He negotiated the shopping, collected his towel and clothes from the chair, then headed for the shower.

A washed and dressed Ianto appeared in the Kitchen about 8.30am. Rhys sat finishing a bowl of cereal and leaving for work. Jack was sat studying the paper and Gwen appeared to be brewing tea.

"Morning Ianto." Rhys said as he got up from table.

"Morning Rhys." Ianto said holding open the door.

"Ah good to see you're up." Jack said.

"Morning hun." Gwen added.

"We've got a plan." Jack said, beaming across the table at him.

"Oh yeah?" Ianto asked.

"We pack up our stuff, head over to the house, drop it and you off. You wait in for the bed. I'll collect Mickey and Martha to go get the next rift collection. And Gwen will come and pick you up once the bed arrives."

"Sounds like a plan." Ianto said, nodding appreciatively, and tucking into a bowl of cornflakes.

Gwen placed a cup of tea in front of Jack. "So if I take Carys shopping with me, and see how much of this list I can get today, and just order the rest?"

"Enjoy yourself, it'll be like a really big shopping spree." Jack said.

"You've never been shopping with a baby have you?"

"I've taken many a babe shopping." Jack said returning to his paper.

Gwen and Ianto exchanged looks.

"I'll go throw that lot in the car, while you finish your drink" Ianto said as he stoof up from table. He placed his empty bowl in the dishwasher and left to collected the previous afternoon's shopping from the bedroom floor.

Jack took another sip of water.

Gwen stared into her tea cup until she heard the Yale lock on the front door click back into place.

"Are you sure about this Jack?"

Jack looked slightly puzzled, "what do you mean? Sure about what?"

"Ianto" Gwen held his eyes, "it's a really big thing moving in with someone."

"You sound like someone's mother" Jack retorted.

"Well, someone has to look out for him." Gwen's concerned tone was developing an angry edge. "He's so excited, you, you, the two of you it just always seems so one sided, him adoring you, and you, you, you just soaking it up, you can't just go stringing him along. Especially after all he's been through."

"After all he's been through!" Jack had stood up and moved towards her end of the table, "Gwen!" Jack was shouting now. "Yes, in the past, it may have _seemed_ one sided, but that doesn't mean it was, doesn't mean it is. I have loved people before Gwen, and every time I lose them. When I do, it hurts. So I'm sorry if I seem cold at times, but I try to avoid going through that pain more times than I have too." He breathed in, attempting to damn back the tears, and take in enough air for the next bit. "I tried so hard you might never be able to imagine how I tried, not to get involved, just keep it light, bit of fun, easier that way. But he is an amazing man Gwen Cooper, and my feelings for him run so much deeper than you'll ever know."

"Maybe you should tell him that." Gwen sounded bitter.

There was little point trying to damn the tears now they just flowed down his face. "Those days prior to the 456 are some of my happiest on memory; but he died, you remember? I travelled a whole world and more than one galaxy to ease the pain, but it still cut me; everyday." He took another breath. "Now, for whatever the reason, I seem to have a second chance. At some point I'll lose him again, and that will hurt all over again, but it will hurt whatever I do. So this time." His voice rose again. "This time, I am going to do it properly."

Gwen bit her lip and lowered her eyes, "sorry" she mumbled.

Ianto heard shouting in the kitchen as he closed the front door behind him; it sounded like Jack shouting, though why he couldn't quite make out. When he reached the kitchen door, there was silence, he opened it a little and stepped over the draught excluder. You could have cut the air with a knife. Jack had one hand on his hip, the other round his neck and was gazing at a point on the ceiling. Gwen had both hand wrapped round her empty cup and was concentrating on the bottom.

"Everything ok?"

Jack smiled, gratefully at him, "Yeah, course, we all set?"

"All ready when you are, Jack." Ianto tried to sound up beat. He looked into Jack's blood shot eyes and noticed the tear stains down his cheek, but decided it was best not to mention it right now.

"Well, best come wave you both off then." Gwen stood up from the table, "I expect an invite to the house warming once you're both settled." She grinned at Ianto, but avoided Jack.


	18. Moving on

_Tada! Sorry its been so long (again) bit of a mental week at work... 74hrs! Anyhoo, here it is Chapter 18 – Moving on. Reviews as always really appreciated, this chapter kinda marks the start of things to come, lots of plot ready and waiting to be written. Hope January been good to you all. Xoxo_

* * *

Gwen closed the front door behind her and went to get Carys ready for the day's shopping spree. She felt drained and isolated.

* * *

Ianto sat in the passenger seat and looked over at Jack. He hadn't said a word since they'd left Gwen's. His eyes were fixed on the road but his driving was no better than usual.

"You alright?" He asked, fixing his own eyes on the road ahead.

"Fine," said Jack. "You?"

"Fine," said Ianto in the same non-committal tone.

The pair sat in silence again as the traffic lights changed to red.

"I believe Mickey when he says the bomb's not coming through," Ianto stated.

"As do I. That's why I hired him," Jack replied.

Ianto managed a small smile.

Silence filled the air again.

"You know you can change your mind," Ianto began.

"Change my mind?" Jack asked, as he pulled up outside number 24.

"You know, about the house, about us" Ianto trailed off.

"What makes you think I want to change my mind?" Jack's tone was harsh and serious.

Ianto looked at him, Jack turned to meet his eyes.

"What is it that makes everyone doubt me?" Jack said softly with undertones of danger.

Ianto blinked and opened his eyes a little further; he wasn't sure what to make of this question. He broke Jacks gaze and looked out the window again.

"I wasn't aware 'everyone' had an opinion," Ianto said avoiding the question.

Jack turned and looked out his own window at the pavement opposite and the terraced houses further down. It had been a long time since he'd let himself get deep enough to settle down; but back then no one had doubted his intentions, or if they had they hadn't felt the need to voice them. _Buzz Buzz. _The phone in his pocket buzzed incessantly dragging him back to the here and now.

"Martha."

"Yep, yep be there in two just dropping Ianto at home." He glanced at Ianto, but if the word home had evoked any response it wasn't showing.

"See you outside." And he hung up the phone, still taking in the body sat in the passenger seat.

"I'll see you at the hub later," Ianto said opening the door and climbing down.

"No kiss?" askeed Jack turning his head and raising one eyebrow suggestively.

Ianto closed his eyes briefly, "If you're very good," he said upon opening his eyes as a smile spread across his face. He shut the door, walked round the front of the SUV and crossed the street to number 24.

Jack watched in amazement as he felt the shiver running through his spine, and his brain processing what had just happened. Tonight couldn't come quick enough! He started the engine, shock himself out of his thoughts and pulled sharply away.

* * *

Jack grabbed Martha and Mickey from outside the hotel minutes later, and with the aid of some more illegal speeds, jumping at least two set of lights, and nearly missing a collision with a cyclist arrived at the forest just two minutes after that! As expected, a pile of rubble appeared under a tree and contained nothing more dangerous than a sharp piece of glass and some seriously heavy slabs. With the loot carefully deposited in the boot, the trio survived more of Jack's driving and arrived at the hub before lunchtime.

"Good work team." Jack announced.

"Go team torchwood." Mickey said with a wink to Jack, and a thumbs up to Martha.

Martha laughed. "Go team torchwood," she said in approval.

Jack grabbed both by the shoulders and pulled them in for a hug, "It's good to have you guys on board."

"I've been thinking," said Martha carefully looking up at Jack.

"Oh yeah?" he asked.

"Yeah, and," she paused, "I thought I'd run it past Tom, but if the offer still stands then I'd like to stay."

Jack smiled a broad genuine smile.

Martha smiled back.

"Get in!" Mickey exclaimed. "Cup of tea to celebrate?"

"You put the kettle on." Jack said.

"I'll just call Tom." Martha said, "He should be on a break just now I think."

"You do that." The smile on Jack's face continued to shine.

Martha took her phone out of her bag and hurried out of the hub to make the call. Jack stood at the edge of the organised rubble that represented the original hub and just smiled, it was all falling nicely into place. _Buzz Buzz. _His phone rang again, was a nuisance these things were, he hoped Gwen had managed to find a comms system today, he really didn't fancy waiting any longer. Talk of the devil, the screen read "Gwen".

"Gwen."

"Excellent, and even better."

"See you both back here in half an hour then. You want to grab lunch on the way?"

"Yeah, no sandwiches is fine. Did you get the coffee maker too?"

"Great, let Ianto choose the coffee."

"Haha, very funny, see you both soon."

He hung up. This was going to be the best picnic ever, you never know Gwen might even have chairs! He laughed to himself. Then he heard footsteps entering the warehouse and a voice he didn't recognise.

"Nice place," said the voice.

Jack pivoted on the spot and let his eyes adjust to the bright light streaming in the now open warehouse door. Stood between him and the door was a man wearing a jacket and on closer inspection he appeared to be wearing a bow tie around the neck of his shirt.

"Can I help?" Jack asked briskly.

"Well that is why I dropped in," said the man, starting to walk towards him again.

Jack tipped his head to the side and looked inquisitively at the stranger.

"We haven't much time actually, but you don't look too busy. I'll have you back in before sunset."

"Hold your horses," Jack said. "How about you explain what you're about and then I'll decided whether or not I'm going to help."

"But Jack it's me! You've never needed persuading before, come on there really isn't much time." The man grabbed Jack's wrist and made to head for the door.

Jack grabbed the man's hand and removed it from his wrist, maintaining his grip on it when it was released. He stared into the young man's eyes.

"Ah," said the man slowly. "Course, you don't recognise me do you? Sorry, took a bit of getting used to myself, but you know a younger body has a hell of a lot of advantages, check out the cheek bones for instance."

Jack stared harder into the eyes, a look of realisation sweeping across his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted.

"Maybe you're jealous? Is that it? You really aren't looking bad yourself, but we really need to go. It won't take long I promise." The younger man seemed to have wriggled his way out of Jack's grip and was making for the door. "Come on!" He yelled over his shoulder.

Jack closed his mouth and started running, this was insane, it couldn't be could it? Why now? Maybe he could explain what was going on? Maybe he could explain where the hell he'd been when they could really have done with a bit of help.

As he reached the entrance to the hub the man was nowhere to be seen. Jack scanned right, just the docks; ahead of him he could see Martha walking down the side of a near by warehouse talking, or rather listening on her phone. He can't have gone far he thought, and turned to his left started running again. He had just passed the end of hub when he heard a cough to his left again. He turned. And there it was. A blue police box parked neatly out of sight at the side of the hub. Stood outside idly fidgeting with a sonic screwdriver stood the younger man, and his identity was no longer a mystery.

"Doctor!" Jack said, slightly out of breath.

"Jack!" Said The Doctor warmly, with a grin so wide his bow tie made him look almost clown like.

"You want to stop for lunch?" Jack offered. "Mickey and Martha are here, and Gwen and Ianto will be back soon, I'm sure they'd love to meet you."

"No we really have to go," said the Doctor, stuffing his screwdriver into his trouser pocket and opening the door to the police box.

"Well I should really let them know I'm off." Jack said.

"No time for that." He grabbed Jacks arm and pulled him inside the Tardis. "Sorry," he added as the Tardis spluttered into life.

Jack rolled his eyes and leant against the central panel. "So want to tell me what we're up to then?"

Gwen parked neatly at the hub door and got out the car to fetch Carys from the back seat. Ianto let himself out the passenger side and admired the view; a cold but dry day, clear skies without a hint of cloud. He breathed in, he wasn't aware he'd died, but right now he was very grateful to be alive.

"You ok pet?" Gwen asked from the door to the hub.

"Yeah, I'm good thanks." He smiled.

Gwen smiled back, "shall we?" She asked.

"No time like the present." He crossed the concrete and held the door open for her and Carys.

The hub was unexpectedly quiet. A computer whirred at the single work station, but there wasn't anyone sat at it. Ianto and Gwen exchanged glances.

"Hey, over here." Mickey called.

Ianto and Gwen turned to their left and spotted Mickey and Martha sat in the medical bay area. Both were slightly hunched, and Mickey had his hand on Martha's knee, neither moved as they approached.

"What happened?" Gwen asked cautiously.

"Where is Jack?" Ianto asked unable to hide the concern from his voice.

"That a bloody good question." Mickey said and returned his attention to Martha.

"Martha?" Gwen asked.

Martha looked up at Gwen, the lighting was dim especially in the corner, but those eyes looked blood shot, even if there owner was putting on a brave face.

"Hey," Gwen said kindly, handing Carys to Ianto and moving to embrace Martha. "Come here. You ok?"

"I'm fine." said Martha, wiping her eyes and taking a deep breath.

Gwen looked at Mickey, Mickey looked at Ianto, Ianto looked at Mickey. Mickey shrugged.

"What happened?" asked Ianto calmly.

"I dunno, I really dunno" said Mickey. "Martha went outside to make a phone call, I went to make some tea in the far corner. Jack was stood over there when I left," he pointed at the workstation and other hub belongings. "When I got back with three cups of tea he was no where to be seen."

Ianto ran a hand through his hair and scanned round the hub, it wasn't like there was anywhere to hide.

"Martha was on the phone to Tom." Mickey added. "I think they've had an argument."

"Oh hun." Gwen exclaimed and hugged a little bit harder. She knelt down so she could cradle Martha's head on her shoulder. She looked up at Ianto, he looked down and shook his head slightly.

"He's gone again, hasn't he."

Gwen bit her lip, she knew how much that was going to hurt. How could Jack do that to him, after everything this morning?

"Well," said Ianto, hoping he sounded more confident and together than he felt. "Lunch anyone?"

"I'll give you a hand." Mickey said, standing up and heading for the door.

Ianto managed a small smile and a nod at Gwen and went after Mickey.


	19. Without him

Gwen released Martha a little and looked at her tear stained cheeks.

"What happened love?" She asked gently.

Martha sobbed a little and then breathed in. "He doesn't even want to consider moving."

"Tom?" Gwen asked rocking Martha ever so slightly.

"Yeah," Martha sighed, and sat up a bit. "I told Jack I wanted the job, I phoned Tom to see what he thought and you know work on persuading him." She smiled sadly. "But he didn't even want to discuss it."

"Give him time, he'll come round." Gwen said with an encouraging squeeze of Martha's shoulders.

"I'm not so sure. Things haven't really been great recently."

Gwen thought about everything she and Rhys had been through. "It'll get better." She said.

Martha looked her straight in the eyes, straightened herself up and said "I don't think it will. I told him I wasn't coming back."

That's a bit final thought Gwen.

Martha continued. "This is where I want to be Gwen, here in Torchwood. More than anything or anyone. UNIT is fine, but its not a patch on this, you guys are like family and the job is so much more exciting."

"And Tom?"

"Like I said, its not really working the whole being married thing. If he wants to try again then we can discuss it, but in all honesty," she paused. "I'd been through a lot when I met Tom and I guess I made decisions then that were clouded by that."

"By a lot, that would be that 'intense' period you sent with Jack?" Gwen asked.

Martha's face relaxed into a smile, "that would be it, was one hell of time."

Gwen smiled back. How many relationships might Jack have screwed up in his lifetime. More than most probably, he'd had long enough. Little did she know that Jack probably wasn't to blame for this one.

The boys reappeared, Ianto was still carrying Carys and Mickey seemed to be laden with carrier bags.

"Did you buy enough?" He asked Gwen as he unceremoniously dumped the bags at her feet.

"We got a few bits," she said in her defence, "didn't want you going hungry."

Mickey grinned.

Ianto handed Carys back to Gwen and began sorting through the bags. Suddenly there was a spread of food arranged across the floor, it looked at a proper picnic, albeit one of the indoor variety.

"What do we do now?" Mickey asked tearing a large chunk of baguette and chewing the end.

"What we always do," said Ianto with some resignation.

"Carry on." Said Gwen confidently. "Collect the last of the rift deposits, set up the hub and keep our eyes and ears to the ground for alien activity."

Ianto rested his elbows on his knees and cradled his head in his hands; so that was work sorted, what about his life outside? That big house and everything he and Jack had chosen together just the other day.

Gwen however seemed to have entered fully function operation Torchwood mode. "So, Mickey once you've eaten can you get us an ETA for the next dump? Ianto, Martha, we'll get the car unpack and see if we can't make this place a bit more functional. I had to order most of the medical stuff, but its due in the next few days; keep our fingers crossed the weevils don't decide to make an appearance before then."

"Yeah sure no worries," said Mickey, "but shouldn't we be looking for Jack? You know just incase."

Ianto looked up. "Not if he's left with him again." There was some disgust in his voice, the other three looked slightly uncomfortable, no one really knew what to say, they could only imagine how it felt to be in Ianto's position right now. "He'll come back when it suits him. If it suits him." And with that he stood up, straightened his waistcoat and strolled out of the hub.

Martha and Mickey exchanged glances.

"He'll be ok." Mickey said, "Jack wouldn't just desert us would he, I'll go check that time."

Martha turned to Gwen. "He's done this before, hasn't he?"

"Yeah." Gwen said bitterly. "Three months, last time. I don't know what it did to Ianto then, and after everything I said this morning I can't believe he had the cheek to just walk out on him again."

"What happened this morning?" Asked Martha as she began clearing away the lunch.

"Oh," said Gwen with sigh, "I questioned his intention towards Ianto and we ended up having a row."

Martha turned and raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything.

"I didn't, and definitely don't after this, think he's as serious about Ianto as Ianto is about him. I just know its all going to end in tears."

"He looks pretty serious about it from where I'm standing." Said Martha.

"He puts on a very convincing show." Said Gwen dismissing this opinion. "Its all red and rosey when it suits him, and then when it doesn't he just goes swanning off with whoever."

"The Doctor, is a special man," Martha said, "assuming that's where you think he's gone."

Gwen looked suspiciously at Martha, "well lets hope he's worth it, cause for all I've seen he's not done anything to help. Lets get his car unpacked"

Martha's face fell, it wasn't even worth explaining, Gwen was pissed off and she was on a mission; mainting her team, dealing with Jack's disappearance and apparently raising a family at the same time.

Nobody said much that afternoon, the portable radio played local radio and the 4 of them busied around ferrying various items out the back of Gwen's car. Before long the boot was empty and the began to look more like an exhibition centre with lots of little stations dotted about. Rhys popped in on his way home from work to collect Carys and examine their work, he didn't stay long, and didn't look too impressed when Gwen informed him she'd be home when she was finished for the day.

* * *

The Doctor had promised before sunset, but by the time Jack reached the hub he could make out the stars in the sky. He hoped it was still the same day, and that the said day had been uneventful for his team. Gwen's car and the SUV were both parked outside, so he assumed that at least a couple of people were still working. The large warehouse door rattled a little as it opened and Jack stepped inside closing it behind him. The cold metal against the palm of his hands felt exceptionally cold and slightly exciting. He could feel the adrenaline pumping round his body; he'd never felt so alive.

Inside looked more organised than he had left it. Ianto and Mickey stood in the centre fixing bits of the old hub into place. Most of the water tower had been found and now stood tall like a centre piece. The clatter of metal as the door closed had attracted Ianto and Mickey's attention, both men turned to stare at where Jack was standing. Gwen and Martha appeared from a behind a screen towards the back of the hub.

"Hey guys." Jack said, pausing to assess their reactions.

"Where the hell do you think you've been." Gwen said storming across the hub.

"Whoa!" Jack exclaimed. "An old friend dropped by he needed a favour and it was a bit urgent. I figured you guys could handle things for a few hours while I was gone." He looked past Gwen to wear Ianto stood. From this distance he couldn't read the expression on his face, he certainly didn't look as outright angry as Gwen, maybe just a little tired, he was bursting to tell him the news.

"Did he fix you this time?" Ianto asked tartly.

Jack couldn't contain it any more; a grin wider than the Cheshire cat's spread across his face.

"No way." Said Martha eyes as wide as saucers.

"Apparently." Said Jack still not taking his eyes of Ianto.

Ianto looked confused. Gwen continued to look angry and slightly put out by this distraction from her scolding.

"He fixed you?" Ianto asked with no attempt to hide the disbelief in his voice.

Jack crossed the gap and stepped in behind Ianto and slid both arms around his waist while resting his head gently on the side on Ianto's. "Yeah he did."

"You're mortal?" Asked Martha.

"Believe so, though I don't plan on testing it."

"Hey hey!" Mickey shouted, punching the air.

"So the next time you die, you aren't coming back?" Asked Ianto quietly.

"Less of the implication that's going to happen sometime soon." Jack protested.

"It might be sooner than you think if you don't explain whats going on." Gwen informed in.

"What's to explain? My doctor popped by, he cured me, and her I am. No longer a fixed point in pace in time."

But seriously Jack." Gwen said, the anger not yet absent from her voice. "If what you say is true, you'll need to learn to be a lot more careful."

"Would I lie to you?" Jack asked.

"Course not." Said Mickey, thumping him hard on the back, "congratulations mate."

"How does it feel?" Asked Martha, "What happened, how do you know?"

"Oh wouldn't you like to know." He said, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Well yes actually Jack, we would." Gwen said,

Jack smiled, he place a hand of each of Ianto's hips and whispered in his ear.

"Of course." Ianto said and slipped out of Jacks hold and disappeared behind the screens, a coffee grinder could be heard bursting intp action and the clinking of mugs on a work surface.

"Gather round kids!" Jack said as he pulled a chair up for himself. "I'll begin at the beginning. Nice chairs by the way."


	20. Jack's Tale

Hello! Apologises for the wait, its a tiny chapter but I hope that I might manage to post more often if I write in small chunks. If you'd rather have longer chapters less often let me know. Xoxo

* * *

"So..." Jack began. "I'd just come off the phone to Gwen, when the Doctor showed up, I didn't recognise him at first he's changed appearance since the last time I saw him. But you know once I'd realised it was him he was really quite insistent that I went with him, and that we went right there and then. So we did. He wouldn't tell me where we were going, but I don't think I'll ever get there again so it doesn't matter."

Ianto returned with a tray full of steaming coffee mugs.

"Thanks" Jack said taking his and ploughing straight back into his story. "There was this head, in a jar."

"Like that hand you used to have?" Ianto asked settling down on the spare chair to Jack's right.

"A little," he smiled, "the head is a creature though, its alive it has thoughts and feeling, and is apparently very important."

"The face of boe!" Martha gasped.

"You've heard of him?" he asked.

"I've met him!" Martha said, a look of amazement growing across he face.

"Sometime in the far far future the head, face of boe, whatever apparently meets the Doctor and saves his life. But the day I met him, which is I believe many decades if not centuries before the life saving event, he was dying."

Martha covered her mouth with her hand, Gwen looked impatient and Ianto just sat there as if Jack was recounting a trip to the supermarket.

"Well if the face doesn't save the Doctor then a lot of things that have happened in the last couple of years on earth would be very different, so we couldn't let that happen. All they needed was a source of life, and who better to ask!" His grin widened again.

"Nice one." Mickey said.

"Wow," Marha said, "thanks Jack."

"Thanks?" Jacks grin slipped in to a confused frown.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the face of boe and so I'm guessing I have you to thank for my life, again!" She smiled softly.

"Don't mention it." He said seriously, "I owe you so much more." He kept her gaze.

"Well that just marvellous isn't it." Gwen said failing to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

"You got a problem with that?" Jack didn't even try to keep the accusation out of his voice.

"Have I got a problem with that?" Gwen asked "well, well, oh I don't know I just think you've maybe had life so long you've forgotten its value, you do remember what being mortal involves I hope?"

"I think this is the point when we all go home." Jack said, and stood up.

Gwen grabbed her bags and stormed out.

Martha and Mickey exchanged looks. "We'll walk." Said Mickey, "see you two in morning." He smiled at Ianto and winked at Jack.

"Night." Said martha quietly as she hurried after Mickey.

Jack breathed in, and out again. He looked across at Ianto who was still sat in his chair elbows rested on his knees. "Home?" he asked, taking the SUV keys out his coat pocket.

Ianto looked up, a small smile appeared on his fallen face. "Nothing here that won't wait." He gathered the coffee cups and headed to the kitchen.


	21. Home is where the heart is

Jack opened the door to number 24 and held it open, Ianto stepped through in silence he hadn't said anything since they'd left the hub. Jack followed him in hung his coat over the hook and took in the new additions to their home. Ianto had been busy since while waiting for the bed, there were pillows on the sofa, and a shinny coffee maker sat in pride of place on the kitchen worktop.

"Does this change things?" Ianto's voice travelled into the small hall

Jack stepped forwards tracking the sound.

Ianto was stood in the living room, his back to Jack, as he watched out the large glass panel into the dark garden. Jack paused a couple of meters behind Ianto, stuck his hands into his trousers pockets.

"I think that probably depends what you mean by things." Jack replied plainly.

Ianto remained starring out the window, but Jack could see is facial expressions in his reflection, presumably Ianto could therefore see his too.

"I still love you." Jack said.

"You," Ianto stuttered and turned slowly to face him.

"I love you." Jack said.

Ianto didn't know what he felt. Part of him was over the moon, Jack love him, loved, him! Another part of him was so scared, he'd worried for so long that his love was one sided, that when he died Jack would forget him in the many years that followed. He'd worried everytime Jack had died, but deep down knew it would probably be ok. Now everything was different, next time, and there always was a next time, it would be him that was left behind not Jack. Was that selfish he wondered? He stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Jacks waist and buried his head against the blue shirt covering Jack's chest. Jacks arms wrapped protectively around Ianto's shoulders, Jack bent his head a little, savouring the sent of Ianto's hair and placed a soft kiss on his line.

Gwen shut the front door quietly behind her; the noise of television drifted down the hall and a light shone through the living door, Rhys must still be up. She felt the anger of the drive home subside, she smiled, she was home. Pulling off her boots she wandered down the hall and opened the door to the living room. Rhys was laid out across the sofa, baby monitor in one hand, all his attention focused on the gun fire on the television.  
"Heya." Gwen said, pushing his feet up a little to let her sit on the arm of the sofa.  
Rhys startled a bit, rubbed and eyes and smiled through his look of confusion. "Evening".  
"Sorry I'm a bit late." Gwen said wearing a small apologetic smile.  
"No, no, no worries." Rhys said, straightening up on the sofa. "If things need doing, they need doing."  
Gwen smiled, how Rhys put up with her she'd never know, but he did, and he was fantastic.  
"There's some tea in the oven, I bathed Carys and she's been asleep, or at least quiet, since about 8 oclock."  
"Star" Gwen said, planting a kiss on his forehead before leaving for the kitchen.

Gwen's mobile vibrated on the coffee table, managing to knock itself in to her tea cup. Rhys stretched out to retrieve it.

"If this is bloody Jack Harkness I'm throwing it out the bloody window."

"Rhys." Gwen said rolling her eyes, returning to the sofa with her food.

"Oh," Rhys said slightly surprised. "It says Rhiannon." He handed Gwen the phone.

"Hello?" She said

"Yes it me, how are you?"

"Good, good, yeah me too."

"Oh yes?"

"He should be at home at the moment, I can give you his number."

"No, they've bought a house. Moved in today actually."

"Yeah, with Jack."

"Ok, well I can have a chat with them in the morning"

"Course, I'll give you a call around lunchtime."

"Night."

"Oh?" asked Rhys.

"She wants to talk about Ianto and the kids and how we might go about explaining his reappearance should she decide to do so."

"That good news isn't it?" Rhys asked, not entirely understanding the worried look on Gwen's face.

"Yes, yes of course." Gwen said with a forced smile, before sliding back into worried.

"But?" Rhys said, settling back into the sofa pulling Gwen with him.

"But," Gwen began, struggling to keep the plate balanced. "Well, what do we tell them?"


	22. Hi ho, hi ho its off to work we go

_Apologies for this being a) short and b) very late in appearing. I'm about to go and one of my finals in an hour, but once they're all out the way in a few weeks, I'll hoping to get a lot more time to write. Thank you to everyone who is still reading, or indeed has just joined us._

* * *

The sun forced its way through the parting in the curtains, and bright line shone across the floor to the foot of the bed and up the far wall. Ianto rolled over and screwed his eyes as tight as they would go in an attempt to fight the glare.

"Morning sleepy head."

Rubbing his eyes and pulling himself a little more upright against the headboard he was able to take in the figure of his captain leaning against the door frame smiling smugly back at him. "Morning," he managed through a yawn.

"Time to rise and shine, work to be done." Jack sprung off the door frame, threw a towel at Ianto and practically danced out the room.

Ianto felt rolled his eyes as he removed the towel from his head and planted his feet on solid ground at the side of the bed.

* * *

Martha and Mickey stood on the side of Cardiff docks, jacket collars pulled up as far as they went.

"Nothing like a good bit of sea air to wake you up in the morning." Mickey said, teeth chattering and shuffling his feet to encourage some circulation anywhere lower than his knee.

Martha shivered slightly and smiled.

"Morning!" Gwen called brightly, striding across the tarmac to reach them. "Bit nippy today, no?"

"Morning Gwen." Martha said turning her back on the docks.

"No sign of the boys yet then?" Gwen asked, tossing her head to the side to remove her hair from her face.

The deep roar of a car engine interrupted their conversation; a large black SUV flung its self round the side of a near by warehouse and slid sideways to end up stationary outside the hub doors. Martha looked at Gwen, raised her eye brows and inclined her head towards the car. Gwen sighed, zipped up her jacket a bit further and broke into a small jog to catch up with Mickey who was already approaching the vehicle. The passenger door opened and Ianto slid out landing lightly on the concrete floor, he straightened his suit jacket, shut the door calmly behind him and looked across at his friends as they approached.

"Morning all, ready for another exciting day I hope." Jack's american accent boomed across the dock land, Ianto flinched and the SUV visibly shook as the driver's door slammed shut.

"Ready when you are Jack." Mickey called back.

"Today is gonna be good," he said unlocking the hub, "I can just feel it."

"It always worry when he says that." Ianto said.

Martha smiled, Gwen laughed, they each grabbed one of Ianto's arms and followed Jack and Mickey into the hub.

* * *

"Woah!" Mickey called from his station as he lept off the chair. "We've got something."

Ianto stood up from the pile of boxes he and Jack were sorting through, Martha and Gwen appeared out of the medical corner.

"That looks like a weevil to me." Ianto said.

"Did someone say Weevil?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Gwen said, "looks to be near the shopping centre according to this reading."

"What are we waiting for?" Jack asked as he swung his greatcoat over his shoulders, "Martha and Mickey with me, grab couple of weevil sprays out that box as you pass. Ianto. Gwen. You two keep sorting this place, we need to be ready."

"Jack, don't you think.." Ianto began.

"Its a weevil, Ianto, I can handle a weevil."

"Yes, sir, of course, sorry my mistake." Ianto smiled as politely as he could.

Jack looked at him quizzically.

"See you later sir."

"See you later Ianto." Then he turned his back and hurried Martha and Mickey out the hub.

"You all right?" Gwen asked placing and hand on his shoulder and giving a gentle squeeze.

"Yes, never better." Ianto said, retained his smile.

"He'll be fine." Gwen said encouragingly.

"Of course he will," Ianto said "this is Jack we're talking about."

Gwen smiled sympathetically, "lets get this sorted for him coming back."

"Yeah." Ianto sighed and wandered back across to the boxes. "The man who has spent centuries trying to die has just become mortal and is off to test it against a blood hungry weevil. What could possibly go wrong?" he finished sarcastically.


	23. This is what we at Torchwood call normal

So here it is! At long last. Chapter 23. I am so sorry its taken so long, I hope I still have some readers left. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can write a bit more regularly now... I can but hope :) If you've got this far, its lovely to see you. If you're reading this then I would like to take this moment to thank my beta Kejfe Blintz, who at the time of press has help me sort out chapters 1 and 2, with time we will conquer them all!

* * *

"A Weevil," Jack began as the SUV swept the wrong way down a one way street, "is quite a simple operation really, sort of thing we at Torchwood call normal."

"Jack." Martha said dramatically, "we have heard about the Weevils before. You know, we've done our far share of chasing aliens."

"I know but there are things about Weevils that are useful to know before one of them is trying to tear your flesh off."

"Nice." said Mickey sarcastically.

"Which presumably is what these are for?" Martha said shaking a stun gun around. "But these only stun Jack, why don't you kill them?"  
"They're not that much of a threat, they live here, they're more of an inconvenience than anything else. But most of the time they keep themselves to themselves so we don't harm them unneccessarily."

"Try telling that to someone who's just lost a leg." Mickey remarked.

"We're usually on top of them pretty quick." Jack said defensively.

"Story of your life." Martha said.

Jack smiled at her. "Ah, missed you Miss Jones." He slammed on the breaks and the SUV came to an ubrupt halt. "All out, take a stun gun, stay behind me, and when we've got it cornered I'll gve the shout and we stun. The Weevil, not each other." he clarified.

The shopping centre was only just open, there were a few shoppers milling around, but mainly they had the place to themselves.

"Whew, wouldn't want to cross the wrong side of that Janitor." Mickey remarked looking a hunched over blue boiler suit, lumbering down the hall.

"That's because that, Mickey, is our target."

"It looks almost human." Mickey replied in horror.

"Yeah wait till it shows you its teeth, definitely not human then."

"Right." Said Mickey apprehensively, "I get the picture, so we ambush."

"Slowly, carefully," Jack said "no sudden movements, they're easily startled."

The weevil, meandered into the gents. Jack flew across the hall and flattened himself against the wall on one side of the door, gesturing for the other to follow suit on the other side.

"Ready?" he asked.

They both nodded. They parted the door and slid through, the weevil appeared to be making faces at its' self in the mirror, trying to reach out and touch its reflection. Mickey snorted, Jack and Martha shot him a warning glance and at that moment the Weevil noticed it had company. It spun round lunging towards them, teeth on display.

"Ooo, wow." Mickey said backing into the tiled wall, "that's an impressive set of teeth you got there."

The weevil wasn't amused, or distracted it swayed a little eye-ing Mickey up and then jumped in for the kill. Mickey closed his eyes as the large head came towards him at alarming speed, he wished the wall would swallow him now. It didn't. But then he heard shouts and a roar and on opening his eyes realised he was still stood against the wall perfectly intact, not a scratch on him. At the other end of the room Jack appeared to be making a lot of noise, shouting all sorts of obscenities at the Weevil; discussing the weather, complaining about the state of the bogs, he didn't however appear to have his stun gun in his hand. The weevil clambered towards him and went to grab him, Jack ducked, but the weevil got a good hold on his coat and shirt and lifted him off his feet dangling him in midair. It sniffed around his face, one ear, then the other and then it threw its' head back, bared its' teeth and collapsed on top of him.

Jack let out an almighty scream as the sharp points of two Weevil teeth scraped down his neck and across his collar bone. Mickey stood frozen to the spot as he watched Martha stun the weevil, he screwed up his face with pain as Jack's screamed filled the bathroom and echoed off the walls. Martha detonated the stun gun and watched as the weevil went limp, Jack's screams nearly defended her as went running to his side. He was bleeding badly.

"Jack." she shouted over the din, "Jack." She repeated checking his pulse.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!" was the only reply she got.

Mickey charged over and hauled the Weevil off Jack and laid it out of the floor.

"Is he ok?" He asked.

Martha had inspected they wounds, they were fairly superficial just skin and a couple of nicks into the muscle, but no major vessels. Ideally she'd like to get them flushed and protected, and she had no idea what sort of bugs might be present on weevil teeth but she suspected they weren't sterile at any rate. First things first though, she needed to stop the bleeding.

"Pass me a wedge of those handtowels." She instructed pointing over at the dispenser.

Mickey grabbed as many as he could fit his hands around and dashed back. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Martha said as she placed then across the wounds and applied pressure. "Jack? I know it hurts, I need you to focus on me, where are we?" She asked.

"We're in the gents, Martha, I'm not about to pass out, I'm just in agony." Jack retorted shooting her a glare.

Martha rolled her eyes. "For goodness sake Jack, pull you're self together, you've suffered much worse that this."

"It's never hurt this much before, has it healed yet?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"You have two gashes the length of a biro pen." She stated. "No of course its not healed yet."

"Hmph." Jack said, "suppose it was too much to ask to be mortal but still rapid self healing."

Martha just looked at him.

"Ianto's gonna kill me." he moaned.

"Come on, keep your hand on there and apply as much pressure as you can, if you don't you'll bleed out and then he won't have to bother. Can you stand?" Martha asked placing an arm around his waist, and drapping his nearest arm across her shoulder.

Mickey slipped in the other side and together they hoisted him off the floor. "What about that?" he asked inclining his head to the weevil.

Martha stopped and looked at the body on the floor, and then at Jack.

"You get that we'll take it back to the cells until it recovers." He looked at them, neither moved from his side. "I can manage." he said exasperated, and disentangled himself from their arms.

"You feel faint, you tell us." Martha ordered.

"Yes ma'am." Jack saluted as she and Mickey gathered up the weevil and followed him out the SUV.


	24. Facing reality

Hellooooooooooooo! I have finally finished my degree, which is excellent in many way, one of which is that I should have more time for this, so look out for a flurry of fanfic activity :-) I'm also considering writing a couple of one shots, but have many ideas for here so to get us started here it is: Chapter 24!

* * *

Jack's head was spinning, and it was taking most of his concentration to keep the world in focus as he stumbled out into the natural light. Pain seared up his neck and seemed to concentrate in a small area at the base of his skull. The SUV stood out amongst the handful of cars in the car park like a sore thumb. Gritting his teething and diverting a small amount of concentration to the task in hand, Jack made his way towards it.

Behind him, Martha and Mickey were making but slow but steady progress with their load. Between them the weevil wasn't a difficult weight, but it was definitely an awkward shape.

"He gonna be ok?" Mickey asked.

Martha swung another leg forward propelling herself and the weevil out into the carpark. "He should be," she said with effort as she took another step, "the wounds aren't too deep, and he's not caught any major vessels so provided we can stop that bleeding and minimise the contamination," she took in another breath and travelled forward a few more paces before continuing "then he just needs to keep it clean and allow it time to heal."

"Lots of TLC from Ianto then." Mickey joked as he staggered forward and readjusted his grip on the weevil's leg.

"Hmmm," Martha mused, "Ianto didn't sound over enamoured with Jack this morning."

"Something wrong in paradise?"

"Just a lot to take in." Martha replied thoughtfully. The last week had been somewhat of a rollercoaster for them all.

Jack placed his spare hand on the handle of the drivers door, he vision blurred. Taking a couple of careful steps to his left he moved his hand to that of the back door and dragged himself up into the back seats. Gingerly he laid himself out across the expanse of leather upholstery, and felt his entire body relax as his leaned his head back and let his eyelids fall across his cornea. He heard the click of the SUV boot unlocking and listened while the rear hatch ascended into the sky. There was a thud as Martha and Mickey dumped the Weevil and slid it as far in as they could manage, then the boot slammed shut. The pain took over his entire body now but he was less aware, or, at the very least less bothered. He'd been foolish, he knew that, determined to prove to himself he still had what it took. To prove to Gwen that he was still that hero character she adored, to prove to Ianto that he didn't need to worry. Weevil hunts had always, ideally, been the first real field experience he exposed new recruits too. As 'routine' and 'safe' as Torchwood got. But today he'd gone charging in alone, without any experienced back up, without giving Martha and Mickey the preparation they needed. Next time he mused, I'll do things differently. Reality hit him with an almight crash, next time, oh no, what if there wasn't a next time, oh, oh, and then he passed out.

"Jack! Jack" Martha screamed. Slap.

Somewhere in the distance Jack heard his name, and then felt the sensation on his cheek as Martha slapped him repeatedly. "urrrg" he mumbled with some effort.

"Thank goodness for that!" She exclaimed. "Stay with us, you need to stay with us, where are your keys?"

"Pocket." Jack whispered flapping his spare arm at the side of his coat trying to orientate himself and his surroundings.

Martha plunged a hand in, smiling with relief as her hands tightened on the hard plastic and cold metal of the SUV key. Extracting her treasure from the pocket she passed it out the door to Mickey. "You drive." she instructed thrusting the key into his palm.

"Right you are." he replied, shutting the door behind her and leaping into the drivers seat. "Always fancied driving one of these." he enthused as slid the key in the ignition and fired the engine into life. The SUV jolted forward as he slammed the gear box into first and floored the accelerator.

* * *

Back at the hub Ianto and Gwen were making progress with the unpacking; the original hub features stood proud around the collection of desks that surrounded pieces of the water tower. The remaining boxes of other objects where piled towards the far end by the expanse of shelving which had arrived the day before. The kitchen area was spotless, dishes stacked neatly in the cupboard, consumables arranged in another, and Ianto's new coffee machine stood proud on the work surface. Gwen has insisted on a virtual and physical notice board at every work station and a proper separate rest area complete with a mini nursery. She looked up from the cot as Ianto brought her a steaming mug of coffee.

"Thanks." she said gratefully accepting the offering and slumping into one of the comfy chairs.

"Your welcome." He replied, sliding into the one opposite her and taking a sip of his own and admiring their work.

Gwen mirrored him, sipping her own coffee, before gathering the courage she needed. "Ianto?" she ventured carefully.

He turned his head away from the main hub and focussed his eyes on her. "Gwen." he replied politely.

"I had a call from Rhiannon last night." Gwen said factually, barely twitching a muscle.

Ianto put his coffee on the side, suddenly he didn't think he could stomach it. "Oh?" he asked.

"She, wants to talk about telling David and Mica."

"Right," he said running one hand through his hair, and refocussing on Gwen.

"I was going to talk Jack first, you know when he got back, see what to..." she trailed off, Ianto looked appaulled. "What?" she asked, slightly concerned she was missing something.

"Jack!" Ianto exclaimed, "My sister wants to talk about tell my niece and nephew that I'm very much alive, and you wanted to talk to Jack FIRST!" he practically spat the last words at her.

"I," Gwen stuttered, "I, well you know ultimately its his decision."

Ianto just looked at her.

"Isn't it?" she asked searching his face.

"Its my family, my life!" Ianto said raising his voice.

"I know," Gwen sympathised trying to lower the tension. "But its not exactly normal, Jack has more experience than either of us."

Ianto's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Yeah," he said sarcastically "because Jack has such a good reputation for keep good family relations." He shuddred as he remembered Jack talk about Stephen.

"That was different." Gwen said quietly, starring regretfully into her coffee, trying to block out all the memories of that day. "He saved the world." she whispered.


	25. Facing Ianto

Well so apparently graduating didn't leave me with the time I thought it might. For those of you still bearing with me, here is Chapter 24, dedicated to everyone still reading :-) This one is very short, for which I apologise, I just kinda needed to get back into it :-)

Quick summary as to where we are: Jack has been badly injured by weevil, Martha and Mickey are rushing him back to the hub. Gwen and Ianto have unpacked the hub, and are having coffee when Gwen tells him about Rhiannon phoning last night.

Authors note: If you're reading this while this note is still here, then I haven't proof checked it yet, so if you'd prefer the checked version best to wait until Monday!

* * *

Neither of them said a word, too lost in their own thoughts to be actively angry. The sound of screeching tyres on the concrete outside broke both their thoughts. There was a slam of a car door and the patter of running. The large metal hub door rattled as the smaller passenger entrance flew open and a rush of cold air swept in. The patter of feet retreated. Gwen looked at Ianto, previous grievance put aside as curiousity got the better of them.

Martha sprung out the passenger seat barely pausing for the door to swing back on its hinge. In a flash she had the back door open and was checking Jack's pulse. Still there. Phew.

"Jack?" she asked, searching his face.

"Ergh." he groaned as he rolled back slighty to look at her.

"Good, still here, you hold in there Jack." She leant over and opened the other back door. "MICKEY!" She belowed.

"Ready!" he annouced appearing as if by magic in the doorway.

Martha smiled, "give us a hand then!"

Together they dragged Jack along the seat until he was sitting upright on the edge of the seats with his legs dangling out the door.

"On three" said Martha. "One, two, three."

"Argh." Moaned Jack.

Ianto and Gwen were half way across the hub when they heard the voices and Jack's moan. Ianto was running before Gwen had time to process the information from her ears. He came to an abrupt halt at the doorway as the trio entered. He opened his mouth, but the blood seeping through the wedge of papertowels Martha was pressing into Jack's neck left him in too much shock to say anything at all and he closed it again.

Martha took one look at Ianto's expression and returned her mind to the task in hand, medical attention for Jack first. Explanations later. She and Mickey hurried towards the new med bay; she was delighted to see that it was now set up and full equipped. Opening one of the cupboards she was delighted to find a fully stock pharmacy and in another a whole selections of fluids, bandages and other consumables. She must remember to thank Ianto for these another time.

Martha worked quickly and with great skill, instructing Mickey to pass her this or that, adminstering pain relief anaesthesitising the affect area and flushing the wound. As he began to loose feeling in his neck, Jack found he has about enough consiousness left to take in his surroundings. He was, he concluded, back at the hub in the med bay, and it was impressive, things where coming together. Ianto's hand no doubt responsible for a lot of it. Ianto, he thought, scanning the room he spotted his Welshman sat on the line of benches that had been thoughtfully placed along a spare internal wall. A sudden cold sensation swarmed his neck and became aware of water seeping on to chest, he squirmed.

"Jack!" Martha scoulded, "keep still."

"What happened?" Ianto asked, his voice even and steady, measured you might say, he directed his question at Martha.

"Our weevil capture wasn't quite as smooth as it could have been." She answered while taking a swab of the flushed wound, "he'll be ok, most of his reaction is shock, I think its been sometime since he had to deal with being wounded properly."

Ianto closed his eyes and thanked someone or something or whatever it was he ought to be thanking that Jack was OK. His face relaxed a little and he looked across at Jack.

Jack hadn't taken his eyes from Ianto since he'd managed to locate him, "I'm sorry." he whispered, looking a little sheepish, before squirming as Martha plastered honey across the wounds and covered them with a dressing.

Ianto knelt down and took both Jack's hands in his, he kissed his forehead lightly and then his hands. "I think we should talk about this later," he said softly, "you get some rest, Gwen and I will deal with the Weevil, then I'll make us all some coffee."


End file.
